Apple has never really been considered a company that deals with data. And after the iCloud hack, which did its damage, it seems its ability to handle user data is being questioned by many.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has been offering online services for more than half a decade, but with the introduction of the iWatch it has stepped into health monitoring and other features that support Apple Pay through which you can make wireless purchases. Apple claims that the company is taking special care to protect valuable personal information that includes credit card numbers and heart rates.
Now after venturing into complex perimeters of health monitoring and storage of credit card numbers, Apple will face two considerable threats; first from the general public who is more than skeptical about Apple’s ability to protect their data; secondly from regulators who believe in keeping health data of their patients private.
Apple CEO Tim Cook explained that with the feature Apple Pay, Apple will not save any credit card numbers of information or keep tabs on them but will simply act as a buffer between the purchaser and the bank.
He also said that Apple has stopped app makers from storing any health related data on cloud computing servers. It will be up to the customers to allow which apps will have access to their data.
The security modulators have appreciated Apple’s initiative to protect their users from any cyber theft. Apple Pay is based on the near field communication exchange technology that ensures exchange of information wirelessly.
This new payment system will also help other companies to adopt the chip based security feature called EMV for Europay, Mastercard and Visa. EMV is more secure than regular magnetic stripes on credit cards; it creates a string of new numbers every time for every new purchase, making it impossible for the hackers to hack in.
The Apple iWatch though being dubbed as a health monitoring device will come under scrutiny by F.D.A, which closely monitors such devices for privacy reasons. Apple Watch as of yet has not been given the status of a health monitoring device by the Food and Drug Administration.
Apple Inc. is emphasizing a lot on security; it has updated its guidelines for app makers urging them not to make any apps that will attempt to store personal data, especially the health data. The health sector is volatile and complex in terms of privacy and Apple is making sure it doesn’t face any criticism for weak security.
Apple Inc.’s iWatch reputation is largely riding on health related apps; it will be interesting to see amidst all the debates about privacy and security, how the sales turn out for the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iWatch. It will be a shame if these devices don’t work just because of major security issues.
