On Thursday, Apple unveiled new App Review Guidelines mandating that developers must explicitly inform users and secure consent before sharing personal data with third-party artificial intelligence (AI) services. This amendment aligns with Apple’s initiative to launch a revamped Siri, enhanced with AI capabilities, set for 2026.
The upcoming Siri update is expected to enable users to execute tasks across applications through voice commands, leveraging technology from Google’s Gemini, as reported by Bloomberg. Concurrently, Apple aims to safeguard user data by preventing unauthorised leaks to AI entities.
This guideline revision underscores Apple’s dedication to privacy, specifically calling out AI organisations to comply with the regulations. Previously, the related rule 5.1.2(i) already required consent for data sharing and was designed to adhere to privacy laws such as the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and California’s Consumer Privacy Act. Non-compliant apps risk being removed from the App Store.
The newly revised guideline explicitly states that developers must “clearly disclose where personal data will be shared with third parties, including with third-party AI,” and obtain explicit permission before such actions. This alteration could influence applications aiming to utilise AI for user data collection or processing, although the breadth of what constitutes “AI” remains somewhat ambiguous, covering various technological facets beyond just large language models (LLMs).
This modification is part of a broader update to Apple’s App Review Guidelines, which also includes changes supporting a new Mini Apps Program and adjustments to regulations regarding creator apps, loan apps, and more. The update has extended to cover cryptocurrency exchanges, classifying them among services in tightly regulated fields.
In summary, Apple’s new App Review Guidelines represent a significant step toward ensuring user privacy and transparency in the evolving landscape of AI technology, holding developers to higher standards of accountability when it comes to personal data handling.
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