Apple iOS 8 Private Data Problems? Apple Tightens Security Measures With iOS 8 Update
Apple's iOS 8 was release over-the-air Sept. 17 following the announcement during Apple's Press Conference Sept. 9 which unveiled the two iPhone 6 variants. The operating system carries with it a number of new features like added TouchID fingerprint uses and Siri updates.
Wednesday Apple released an update for the iOS 8, which included a tighter and more secure protection for any data stored on the iPhone. In fact, Apple has made the security in such a way that even police won't be able to gain access to the user's personal information.
All information contained within the device is now protected by the owner's passcode, a four-digit number combination that only the owner knows. Before the big security update, Apple has been able to access certain types of information from the devices, even if it were protected by a passcode. This has been a necessary bypass whenever authorities would warrant a need for a person's personal information.
The upgraded security feature, however, only protects data and information stored within the iOS device itself and not data stored within the iCloud service. That way, Apple might still be able to hand over any data needed by the authorities if the company was warranted to do so.
With the new security update, Apple has revised its privacy policy to accommodate the changes along with a letter from the CEO, Tim Cook.
"Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it's not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8," Cook said in the letter.
The much needed security updates were in response to the public's questioning of Apple's ability to protect user's private information following a massive leak of nude photos of several well-known actresses and models.