Video streaming: praise for Apple's data protection approach with the Apple TV
Apple's multimedia box isn't cheap, but according to an analysis, it has a decisive advantage: users are much better protected in terms of their privacy.
Apple TV 4K with HomePod mini.
(Image: Apple)
Streaming boxes and streaming sticks are a dime a dozen – from smaller providers and the big players, such as Amazon, and sometimes at very reasonable prices. Added to this are televisions, which are always “smart” these days and have corresponding Internet-connected interfaces. However, the question is: how data protection and privacy-friendly are these devices? Which system watches the user while they watch, and/or annoys them with advertising? The renowned IT blog Ars Technica has now carried out a major analysis of this month. The result: Apple's tvOS box Apple TV performs significantly better than the competition in most respects. However, one problem remains the comparatively high price (starting from 159 €) and the fact that Apple at least receives more data.
“Unplug the Internet from the TV, connect Apple TV”
A general advice among many Ars Technica readers is to remove the Internet rights from the TV (turn off Wi-Fi or unplug the network cable) and connect an Apple TV box via HDMI instead. According to its analysis and interviews with data protection experts, this step is also the right one. “Apple TV offers significantly more privacy than other providers of streaming hardware.” For example, Apple does not have automatic content recognition, which more and more providers of smart TVs and streaming devices are using to recognize what users are watching to display appropriate advertising. There is also less basic tracking. You can select “Ask App Not to Track” for all apps.
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This prevents apps from accessing the device's advertising ID and tracking users across apps. An expert in consumer privacy at the Public Interest Research Group told Ars Technica that Apple's business model is not dependent on selling targeted advertising. The company therefore has less interest in absorbing and monetizing “incredible amounts of data”. However, Apple is also increasingly interested in selling advertising as part of its services business. Added to this is the fact that most users use their Apple account with Apple TV.
Beware of third-party apps
Most of the positive aspects of Apple TV data protection apply to the company's own TV app, which does not, however, present all streaming content. Instead, many users use competing apps from Netflix, Disney+ or Google's YouTube. Here you should continue to pay attention to the data protection conditions.
There are special labels in the App Store, so-called privacy labels. Apple's well-known anti-tracking measures also apply here, as all applications are distributed via the App Store and must comply with the corresponding rules.
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