In the competition among technology companies to define the values ​​that represent them, Apple has long established itself as a steadfast and incorruptible protector of privacy. And it is true, no one can deny that he is making many moves in this regard, on all possible fronts. From suing those responsible for Pegasus so they can’t use their software, to refusing to cooperate with authorities in relation to enabling “backdoors” on their devices, to constantly adding new features to their devices and operating systems to ensure that the privacy of their users.

There are many recent examples of this, such as the news of iOS 16.3 or the restrictive but shielded isolation mode, the more than effective (to the chagrin of some “telcos”) Private Relay or, if we go a little further back in time, the release of iOS 14.5, which, as you might imagine remember, it forced app developers to offer users that their apps don’t track their activity, which wasn’t funny at all on Facebook.

They also know how to correct if they make a wrong move In this sense, as happened in the case of NeuralHash, a solution for prosecuting CSAM content (child sexual abuse material, pedophile content), which caused great concern for privacy defenders due to its operating system. Apple first delayed its launch, despite regulators pointing in exactly that direction, and eventually decided to cancel it.

We could go on for hours about all the measures taken by Apple to protect the privacy of its users, but the truth is that the company may not be that consistent in protecting the privacy of its users. According to a reading of the lawsuit filed in the Northern District Court of California on behalf of plaintiff Julie Cima, she claims that Apple gets customer data from iPhone despite device settings preferring information not to be shared.

The lawsuit is based on research published late last year that claims Apple collects information from its users even when they have indicated they do not want it. Since its publication, there have already been other legal moves in the same direction. Additionally, previous research by Oxford University researchers published in April 2022 made similar allegations.

If what is suggested in the said study is confirmed and subsequent lawsuits are launched, Apple’s image could be seriously threatened. And not just for collecting data from users who didn’t want it, but for that an act of cynicism what does it mean to declare yourself an absolute privacy protector and also for a huge benefit you would get in this circumstance with respect to the rest of the developers apps for iOS.