Scientists doubt the safety of Apple gadgets

Scientists at Aalto University (Finland) have found that Apple has made privacy settings on its devices extremely difficult. This was reported by The Register with reference to a study.

Specialists Amel Burdusen and Janne Lindqvist analyzed the settings in the macOS and iOS operating systems and found that it is extremely difficult for users to choose the privacy settings they need. The authors doubt that users of branded gadgets can be completely protected if they do not have the ability to understand the settings.

“Our work shows that users can disable default apps, but later find that the settings do not match their original preferences,” the team noted. Apple also does not report where the data collected by the built-in services Siri and Safari is sent.

Engineers have found that to turn off Siri, users must find privacy options in five different submenus in the Settings app. In addition, the settings of the same applications on different platforms may differ.

In conclusion, experts emphasized that through official materials Apple is trying to tell its users about how it protects their personal data. However, the texts are written using complex legal terms and may not be understandable to consumers.

At the beginning of April, Apple released a beta version of an iOS update with protection against unwanted surveillance. If smart beacons are detected, users will be able to disable them through the Find My app.