Apple leaves sour taste as tech privacy war escalates: The Wall Street Journal

EDINBURGH — Revelations of how big tech companies have been secretly mining our personal data have continued to spill out into the open as Apple fights with Facebook and Google. Apple inadvertently revealed how much control it has over the internet when it punished Facebook by temporarily shutting developer apps. As The Wall Street Journal reports, Apple doesn't actually protect our data like we think it does. Recent privacy scandals include the Apple FaceTime bug which allowed users to listen to others without permission. Facebook and Google aren't any better when it comes to respecting the privacy of users. They can hone in on who you talk to, when, for how long and, in some cases, what about, says TechCrunch. That's worth a lot of money, with Facebook raking in billions for selling these details to advertisers. The UK's Information Commissioner's Office is investigating whether Google has broken the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which came into force last year. It could be fined up to 4% of its annual global turnover,  so roughly $4bn (£3.1bn; R54bn), according to The Telegraph. – Jackie Cameron

Apple's Cold War Over Privacy Turns Hot