Google Finally Adds iOS Privacy Labels To Gmail

Google today quietly added App Privacy labels to its Gmail app, marking the first of its major apps to receive the privacy details aside from YouTube. From a report: Though App Privacy information has been added to Gmail, Google has done so server side and has yet to issue an update to the Gmail app. It has been two months since the Gmail app last saw an update. Earlier in February, the Gmail app was displaying warnings about the app being out of date as it has been so long since new security features were added, but Google eliminated that messaging without pushing an update to the app. Apple has been enforcing App Privacy labels since December, and Google has been slow to support the feature. Google said in early January that it would add privacy data to its app catalog "this week or next week," but by January 20, most apps still had not been updated with the App Privacy. Google has since been adding App Privacy labels to apps like YouTube and some of its smaller apps, but of major apps like Google Search, Google Photos, and Google Maps, Gmail is the first to get the new labeling.

All iOS Privacy disclosures are "server side"

[kiwioddBall]

None of the privacy disclosures are tied to a version release. All iOS developers can go into their privacy settings for an app on Apples website and update them at any time. The updates the developer makes are pushed out to all app stores around the world immediately, without requiring app review or any notification to Apple. App Developers can correct them at any time and the change is made straight away.

There are some stories about where privacy changes need to pass app review or need an app release. This isn't the case.

Re: All iOS Privacy disclosures are "server side"

[dhjdhj]

I think the point here is that you can now actually see that when you use Gmail you have ZERO privacy!

Gmail is no more or less private

[martynhare]

Gmail stopped mining emails for advertising purposes years ago [google.com] so there really isn't a privacy advantage to using other providers any more, given every provider mines data for anti-malware/anti-spam purposes (as Gmail does) anyway. In general, when you send an e-mail without utilising S/MIME or GPG, there is no privacy - regardless of provider.

Re:

[ZiggyZiggyZig]

We will not scan or read your Gmail messages to show you ads.

Yes, you are right when you say that "they stopped mining emails for advertising purposes." But the sentence doesn't say that Google will not scan or read your Gmail messages. It only says it will not do so in order to directly show you ads. Nothing prevents Google from scanning or reading your Gmail messages to generate metadata about you, which in turn, at some later point, may or may not be used to show you ads.

I love legalese.

Re: All iOS Privacy disclosures are "server side"

[samkass]

It is the other way around. A version release is tied to the disclosure. As of this past December, you cannot release a new version of your app unless you have done the disclosure, so Googles apps are stuck at their previous update until they do so.

Remember P3P?

[martynhare]

Well that was used against Google when they lied on their privacy declaration to get their cookies set in browsers like IE. If companies lie on these privacy declarations, they could end up being sued by users, rather than Apple, if caught.

That is the real power behind them. Just like how food nutrition labels can get companies sued if they lie, so can these.

Subject

[AndrewHolloway]

Besides not using Google for searches, I do not have a Gmail account and won't open emails from businesses or people that do, I won't touch Google Docs, never watch anything on You Tube. https://writemyessay.onl/ [writemyessay.onl]