Apple has done many things to help with the health of the world, and today the company shared an official statement announcing a detailed tool for Maps app functionality, to help reduce the distribution of COVID-19.
According to Apple, travel data is shared on this new website can provide useful information to local government and health authorities. In addition, they can also be of great help in the development of new public policies, as they show differences in the number of people driving, traveling and using public transport in different cities.
With the information available on Maps, the new website is appealing shipping in major cities and 63 countries and regions, and said details are being made taking into account requests for directions made on maps by users. Apple ensures that data for a specific city, country or region depends on a series of factors, such as the minimum number of references requested per day by users.
What about users' privacy?
While protecting your privacy, we share aggregated data from Apple Maps to help public health authorities learn how people navigate their communities and provide valuable insights to block COVID-19 coverage. Stay safe and healthy! https://t.co/Nok77HKIXN
– Tim Cook (@tim_cook) April 14, 2020
Of course that is a very common question when these types of tools arise. Official communications from the company indicate that Maps does not combine user travel data with Apple ID, and does not keep a record of the places visited.
"Data transmitted from users' devices to the Maps service is associated with random identification, so Apple does not have a profile for their navigation and search"Apple is showing on its new website.
In this regard, Tim Cook also mentioned his Twitter account, pointing out that information shared by Maps does not violate users' privacy.
Apple has integrated privacy at the base of the map from the beginning. Information collected by Maps, including search terms, routes and road information, they correspond to random identifiers that are reset continuously, the reason why maps do not save user travel and search profile.
