Exploring Apple’s Latest Transparency Report

Apple has released its latest Transparency Report, covering the period of 1st July - 31 December 2018. While the report outlines a number of interesting aspects, particularly in relation to how individual account data has been utilised and shared, the main takeaway from the document is Apple has removed a number of apps from its store.

Apple Removes 82% of Questionable Apps

The report shows that the US Government requested that a number of apps were removed from the Apple App Store; a request which Apple partially acted upon. In total, the request was made up of 80 separate petitions from 11 different countries around the world. These countries were primarily clustered throughout the Asia Pacific region, although European countries including Norway and The Netherlands were also involved. Of the 770 apps highlighted for removal, Apple removed 634 apps; 82%.

While Apple has not confirmed exactly which apps were removed, it is noted that the primary reason for removal was failure to comply with local laws, including gambling, pornography, privacy, and copyright infringement legislation. The apps were removed only in the requesting country, and may still be available in international app stores.

What Does This Mean for Businesses?

Apple’s compliance with the majority of requests suggests that both businesses and app developers shouldn’t make international distribution an afterthought. For businesses striving to target global audiences, it is essential that local laws are taken into consideration, and that apps are developed in line with these regulations in order to minimise the risk of removal and ensure that target audiences can easily be reached.

Other Notable Data:

●Apple confirms that its 2020 Transparency Reports will include details of any appeals made following the removal of apps from the App Store in 2018.

●Almost 30,000 Government requests were made in the United States in 6 months for device data. Apple confirms that 78% of these requests were granted.

●The greatest number of data requests came from Canada, the United States, Germany, and Spain, in relation to stolen device and fraud investigations.

●Between 3 and 499 National Security Letters were received by Apple during the period. These letters pertained to somewhere between 1505 and 1999 accounts.

The full Apple Transparency Report can be viewed here , and the next report covering the 1st January - 30th June is expected to be released by Apple in December 2019.