Apple gives US users a tool to see what data it has collected

(Reuters) – Apple Inc. (AAPL.O) launched on Wednesday an online tool intended for users in the United States and several other countries to download, modify or delete any data collected by the manufacturer of the iPhone.

Apple has updated its privacy website with this tool, which was unveiled earlier this year to users in the European Union in response to the region's general data protection regulations, or GDPR . Apple will now let users in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand see and download all the information collected by Apple about them. It also gives users an easier way to make changes to the data, suspend their Apple account, or even permanently delete it.

Previously, Apple offered these features in different locations, but brought them together under the European Data Protection Act. It plans to deploy the same tool for all users of the world by the end of the year.

Apple devices such as the iPhone or Apple Watch collect detailed data about users, such as recipients of their emails, calls or SMS, and even biometric data such as heart rates and fingerprints. Apple however has a habit of keeping much of this data on the devices themselves and encrypting them with the user's access code, which means that Apple does not have them and can not decipher them if the forces of order ask him.

Apple has sought to turn its privacy position into a commercial advantage over rivals in the technology sector. CEO, Tim Cook, said that Apple "would not be in this situation" earlier this year when Facebook Inc. (FB.O) have been the subject of an in-depth review for improper use of its data by Cambridge Analytica. Facebook managing director Mark Zuckerberg in turn described Cook's comments as "extremely flippant".

Despite the fact that it focuses on data retention on devices, Apple collects and stores certain data relating to its users. With updates to his privacy website on Wednesday, he tries to better explain these cases. For example, Apple collects data on users' reading habits to improve suggestions in its Apple News application, but indicates that this data is linked to an anonymous identifier, rather than to a personal profile, and that it is not anonymous. they are not connected to their other services and can be reset at any time.

Apple has also developed its guide for users on how to adjust their privacy settings. For example, Apple's default settings allow some advertising tracking in the App Store and Apple News, but they explain how users can limit this tracking.