Apple has been actively participating in helping people at the time of the current global pandemic. The Cupertino giant has already donated over 20 million face masks to people in need and is manufacturing face shields designed by its team of own experts. Apple also helped Stanford Medicine by developing its first app so that the responders can screen the symptoms of COVID -19 and also if needed, schedule an appointment with a doctor for the same. Now, Apple is making use of data from Apple Maps to curb coronavirus spread by tracking the regions where people are proactively stepping out. This data will be available for public authorities to use for a limited amount of time only.
Apple Says Data Of Users is Completely Safe
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said that there is no need to worry about personal data being recorded. Apple privacy policies are kept in mind, and the information which is shared is not connected with any user’s Apple ID. Maps will collect the mobility data which will be shared in the form of requests people make for routes on Maps.
Determining the number of route requests in a region, data will be produced. This will determine how many people are travelling and at what time these requests are coming in. Apple Maps will show everything from the number of people moving in a specific route, the mode of transport they are using, and the time at which they are stepping out.
Mobility Reports To Be Generated Throughout the World
Apple is generating mobility reports throughout the world. As of now, the data is being collected in all the major cities of the world and around 63 countries and regions. Apple using mobility reports doesn’t mean that a user’s travel history is being recorded, but the company is just using the number of requests generated in a particular region. Along with this, the numbers generated by the Maps is continually resetting so that no records of your movement history can be stored.
