Apple tightens HealthKit privacy policy in bid to protect users’ health data

By Trevor Mogg Published August 28, 2014

apple health app murder germany — Image used with permission by copyright holder

With Apple’s HealthKit platform set to launch in the coming weeks as part of iOS 8, the tech company has updated its privacy policy for health apps, with the new rules warning developers of HealthKit-related mobile software not to sell or share collected personal data to marketers or any similar organizations.

Apple is all set to reveal a new iPhone (or iPhones), and possibly a smartwatch, at a special event in Cupertino on September 9. iOS 8 is expected to launch at the same time, with a slew of new health-related apps from independent developers likely to follow soon after.

Recommended Videos

Related: Apple wants to bring HealthKit to a hospital near you

HealthKit is an Apple-made application program interface (API) that tracks and gathers data from third-party software for presentation in Apple’s forthcoming Health app. The new app has the potential to show a wide range of user data, including, for example, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and physical activity. Data can also be delivered via hardware such as Fitbit, or the sensor-laden smartwatch that many expect Apple to unveil alongside its new handsets next month.

Related: Best iPhone fitness apps

While developers will be able to build apps that deliver data to Health, they’ll also be able to pull information from other health-related apps on a user’s mobile device if granted permission.

With this in mind, Apple is keen to ensure that such sensitive information is not sold on or in any way distributed to others. The Cupertino company’s updated policy informs developers they must not “sell an end-user’s health information collected through the HealthKit API to advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers,” and also should not use collected data for any other purpose than to provide health and/or fitness services.

According to an FT report Thursday, research carried out last year by campaign group Privacy Clearing House revealed that 43 percent of the health apps it looked at shared “personally identifiable information” with marketers.

Apple hopes that by making the rules clear from the start, it’ll be able to avoid privacy-related controversies further down the road. The move also aims to instill confidence in customers using its products to monitor their fitness and health, an area which is attracting increasing attention from not only app developers but gadget makers, too.

Topics

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Mobile

Everything you need to know about the OnePlus 13

Official OnePlus 13 product renders showing rear panel colors.

OnePlus is an excellent brand that offers powerful flagship phones at a great value compared to some of its competitors. We followed every rumor about the OnePlus 13 for months, but now it's here — and it's everything we hoped for. It might not be available in the Western market yet, but it will be soon.

So, what makes the OnePlus 13 so special? Here's everything you need to know about OnePlus' latest flagship.
When is the OnePlus 13 being released?

Mobile

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite vs. MediaTek Dimensity 9400: the race is on

Comparison of Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite and MediaTek Dimensity 9400 processors.

The flagship mobile silicon race has entered its next phase, one that will dictate the trajectory of Android hardware heading into 2025. Merely weeks after MediaTek wowed us with the Dimensity 9400 system on a chip (SoC), Qualcomm also pulled a surprise with the reveal of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

But this time around, the battle is not as straightforward. Where MediaTek is working closely with Arm and adopting its latest CPU and graphics innovations, Qualcomm has firmly put its faith in custom cores. These are no ordinary cores, but a next-gen iteration of the same fundamental tech stack that powers Windows on ARM laptops.

Mobile

Discolored line on your new Kindle? You aren’t alone

Amazon Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition on a table.

The new Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition is the first full-color e-reader, and a lot of bookworms couldn't wait to get their hands on it. Sadly, many people are reporting the display has a discolored yellow area at the bottom of the screen. The problem is so widespread that the Kindle Colorsoft dropped to an average review rating of 2.6 out of 5, although it does remain the bestselling e-book reader at the moment.

The cause of the discoloration isn't clear. Some users report that it only happens when using the edge lighting feature on the Kindle, while others say it appeared after a software update. Either way, the yellowing is a problem, especially on a device that Amazon has marketed as being great for comics and graphic novel fans. It's hard to enjoy the colorwork in a comic when it's distorted.