Some apps incorrectly show App Privacy Labels in Apple app store; They do share your data

An analysis was also conducted by Patrick Jackson, the Chief Technology Officer of the developer of Privacy Pro. Jackson was also a one-time researcher with the NSA.

FILE - This March 19, 2018, file photo shows Apple's App Store app in Baltimore. Apple will begin spelling out what kinds of personal information is being collected by the digital services displayed in its app stores for iPhones and other products made by the trendsetting company. The additional disclosures will begin to appear in apps made for iPads, Mac computers and Apple's TV streaming device, as well as its biggest moneymaker, the iPhone. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File) (AP)

Apple recently introduced its App Privacy labels that tells us more about the information that the app will collect when downloaded on the iPhone. Whenever the developer updates the apps, it has to include a privacy label. You can find these labels underneath the option to download and install apps inside the App Store. However, as pointed out by the Washington Post, there seems to be an issue when it comes to App Privacy labels.

The newspaper took some apps with a Blue check mark on privacy labels to see if they collected any user data at all as indicated. It also used a search engine to find if these iOS apps and used a software called Privacy Pro that logs and blocks connections to trackers.

An analysis was also conducted by Patrick Jackson, the Chief Technology Officer of the developer of Privacy Pro. Jackson was also a one-time researcher with the NSA. 

According to the analysis, several iOS apps were found sharing information that could identify a user's iPhone with Facebook, Google and Game Analytics. Also found was that these apps were sending Unity, a company that provides game makers with software data, the user's ID and the iPhone that is being used. In addition, it also shared data related to the battery level of the phone, the remaining amount of free storage, the general location of the phone and the volume level.

Some of the apps mentioned are Satisfying Slime Simulator, Rumble, Maps.Me and FunDo Pro. Although the label of some of these apps were changed after Washington Post discovered the problem, but in most cases no changes were made.

The newspaper went on to conclude that one-third of the apps that claim to not collect data from users are actually doing it. When the newspaper sent the list of apps to Apple pointing out the issue, the company did not respond.

However, in a previous conversation with Post. Apple spokesperson did clarify that it “Conducts routine and ongoing audits of the information provided and we work with developers to correct any inaccuracies. Apps that fail to disclose privacy information accurately may have future app updates rejected, or in some cases, be removed from the App Store entirely if they don't come into compliance.”