Apple has started removing apps from the App Store that violate the company’s policies by sharing location data with third parties without explicit consent, reports 9to5Mac.
The breaches are related to sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 of the company’s App Store Guidelines, which say that apps must not transmit “user location data to third parties without explicit consent from the user [or] for unapproved purposes.”
Developers that have violated the company’s guidelines have received notices from Apple, informing them that their apps are not in compliance “upon re-evaluation.”
9to5Mac notes that the apps affected haven’t provided enough clear information to users about what happens to their data after it’s collected.
Apple’s clampdown seems to be related to the General Data Protection Regulation, which comes into effect on May 25th in Europe.
That means apps might need to ask for consent to your data more often, or highlight how they’re using your data in clearer ways.
Apple finally decided to start enforcing guidelines on selling location data. »
