Miami Valley cybersecurity expert talks Apple’s new privacy feature

A software update will give Apple users more control over their personal data.

The IOS 14.5 update comes with a new privacy component, which allows users to decide how they want their personal information handled.

“Apple has sort of staked out a niche, in terms of being a little more privacy oriented than some of the other providers,” Dave Salisbury, director of the University of Dayton cybersecurity and data intelligence said.

Apps can track online behavior including shopping habits, location, age, and medical info. With the new feature, Apple users will have to opt in to third party apps tracking their online activity data, which is used to target consumers with ads.

“Apple is giving more individual level privacy to people,” Salisbury said.

However, he explained, downloading IOS 14.5 will not necessarily protect customers right away.

News Center 7′s Molly Koweek downloaded the software update. She got a prompt from the Poshmark app, but not one from the Facebook app.

Salisbury explained, that’s because right now, app developers still have to agree to the new feature.

“The developer actually has to enable that feature. Now, Apple will start requiring that I’m sure at some point in the not too distant future. It’s not going to happen immediately,” Salisbury said.

He said, users can take control of their privacy before apps enable the new feature by going to settings à privacy à advertising à turn off personal ads.

Cox Media Group