Apple vs TRAI: Battle For User Data Protection Spikes up

Apple has reportedly gotten into a tussle with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) over iPhone users’ data in India. TRAI blames the US based tech giant for not approving its anti-spam app on its app store. The app allegedly requires access to user data such as contacts on the iPhones. Though Apple has not publicly commented on this, it is believed that the app’s behaviour does not go well with Apple’s privacy policy for its users

The dispute has been going on for the past few weeks during which, the TRAI officials have had around half a dozen meetings with the Apple team but all to no conclusion. Sharma accused Apple of the ‘ridiculous’ standoff, saying "Nobody's asking Apple to violate its privacy policy. It is a ridiculous situation, no company can be allowed to be the guardian of a user's data" in an interaction .

The anti-spam app by TRAI is already available on Google Play Store for Android users. Though as per the reviews on the app store, the TRAI app is considered useless by many. Despite TRAI having a ‘Do Not Disturb’ directory, the organization has been all but helpful in curbing spam messages and calls in the country. People now resort to Private players like Truecaller and Google to tackle the pestering problem.

Commenting further on the issue, Sharma gave an altogether different spin-off to the case, stating "The problem of who controls user data is getting acute and we have to plug the loose ends. This is not the regulator versus Apple, but Apple versus its own users."

Apple’s stand at this is made crystal clear with its privacy policy. The policy stated by Apple CEO Tim Cook reads “At Apple, your trust means everything to us. That’s why we respect your privacy and protect it with strong encryption, plus strict policies that govern how all data is handled."

Apple says it takes the security of your personal information very seriously. Apple online services such as the Apple Online Store and iTunes Store protect your personal information during transit using encryption such as Transport Layer Security (TLS). They also say that when your personal data is stored by Apple, they use computer systems with limited access housed in facilities using physical security measures. iCloud data is stored in an encrypted form including when they utilize third-party storage.

Watch Video: Apple iPad Pro 10.5-Inch Review