Skip to main content

Apple tightens HealthKit privacy policy in bid to protect users’ health data

apple health app murder germany
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With Apple’s HealthKit platform set to launch in the coming weeks as part of iOS 8, the tech company has updated its privacy policy for health apps, with the new rules warning developers of HealthKit-related mobile software not to sell or share collected personal data to marketers or any similar organizations.

Apple is all set to reveal a new iPhone (or iPhones), and possibly a smartwatch, at a special event in Cupertino on September 9. iOS 8 is expected to launch at the same time, with a slew of new health-related apps from independent developers likely to follow soon after.

Related: Apple wants to bring HealthKit to a hospital near you

HealthKit is an Apple-made application program interface (API) that tracks and gathers data from third-party software for presentation in Apple’s forthcoming Health app. The new app has the potential to show a wide range of user data, including, for example, weight, blood pressure, heart rate, and physical activity. Data can also be delivered via hardware such as Fitbit, or the sensor-laden smartwatch that many expect Apple to unveil alongside its new handsets next month.

Related: Best iPhone fitness apps

While developers will be able to build apps that deliver data to Health, they’ll also be able to pull information from other health-related apps on a user’s mobile device if granted permission.

With this in mind, Apple is keen to ensure that such sensitive information is not sold on or in any way distributed to others. The Cupertino company’s updated policy informs developers they must not “sell an end-user’s health information collected through the HealthKit API to advertising platforms, data brokers or information resellers,” and also should not use collected data for any other purpose than to provide health and/or fitness services.

According to an FT report Thursday, research carried out last year by campaign group Privacy Clearing House revealed that 43 percent of the health apps it looked at shared “personally identifiable information” with marketers.

Apple hopes that by making the rules clear from the start, it’ll be able to avoid privacy-related controversies further down the road. The move also aims to instill confidence in customers using its products to monitor their fitness and health, an area which is attracting increasing attention from not only app developers but gadget makers, too.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
Visible just made its unlimited 5G plan better than ever
Visible wireless phones and plans featured

Digital wireless service provider Visible has announced upgrades to its premium Visible+ phone plan. The highlight is a new Global Pass feature that allows Visible customers to use their phones in 140 countries worldwide.

The Visible Global Pass offers unlimited talk and text services, along with 2GB of high-speed data, for a flat rate of $10 per day. Visible+ members can also enjoy a free Global Pass usage day every month. The activation process can be done through the Visible app.

Read more
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

Read more
Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

Read more