EU to probe Apple data practices

Brussels privacy regulators are set to investigate Apple’s European operations, scrutinising how the company treats customer data from sales of iPads, iPhones and other Apple products around Europe.
The probe, to be carried out by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner on behalf of the EU, will be launched soon after Apple is scheduled to release a new budget iPhone.
The product will target the mid-range market currently dominated by Android smartphones and reduce costs by using a plastic case rather than the aluminium of the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S.
It coincides with new figures which show Apple rapidly losing market share. Last week, sales analysis firm Strategy Analytics reported that Apple retained just 14% of the worldwide smartphone market. By comparison, phones using the Android operating system – such as Samsung and HTC – now account for 80% of the sector.
Large scale data protection audits typically take months to conduct and complete, so it will be some months before any conclusions are published. A spokesman for Apple declined to comment.
Apple is currently under investigation by EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia for possible anti-competitive practices.
The Irish office is also being urged to reinvestigate Facebook, following the US Prism spying scandal, with an Austrian privacy rights group – Europe Versus Facebook – currently considering legal action to force through a re-audit.

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