Apple has released a support document on helping users figure out if their device(s) are being accessed by others without their knowledge. The company also mentions steps that users can take in such cases to protect their privacy.
The support document reads, “Apple makes it easy to connect and share your life with the people closest to you.” It stresses on the importance of an individual’s privacy, “ What you share, and whom you share it with, is up to you — including the decision to make changes to better protect your information or personal safety.”
Best guide to protect your data on Apple devices
The Director of Cybersecurity at Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Eva Galperin tweeted the link of the support document published by Apple. She also added her own thoughts, saying that the manual has a “very boring name” but is the “best guide to locking down your Apple devices”. Eva also added that this document will be very useful for “survivors of domestic abuse”.
Galperin explained the use of the document very nicely by using real-world practical scenarios. Apple offers unique features to users to share their data with the people they love. However, Gaperin says that, “the person you trust today may not be the person you trust tomorrow”. She is right, relations do not always last forever and in this era, data can be used negatively and privacy is a very crucial requirement in the internet age.
EFF’s Director of Cybersecurity Eva Galperin added, “Couples break up, marriages end, roommates move out.” She stressed on the importance of tech being easier for enabling a feature as well as disabling the same by saying, “If you make a product that allows you to share your data with other people, you should also make it simple to lock them out.”
You can read the complete privacy (support document) publication by Apple at Device-and-data-access-when-personal-safety-is-at-risk (apple.com)
