icloudkitApple today told developers that it is offering a set of tools to help them fulfill data requests made by users in the European Union or other places around the world to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that goes into effect in May.

Following the implementation of the GDPR developers will need to comply with customer requests for accessing, managing, restricting, and deleting data. To facilitate this, Apple says developers can let users manage data that's associated with an app and stored in iCloud by using native APIs and Web APIs.

You can let users manage data that's associated with your app and stored in iCloud by using native APIs and Web APIs.

Providing User Access to CloudKit Data
Give users access to the data stored by your app on their behalf.
When a user requests a copy of the data associated with their Apple ID, it includes only the data that Apple maintains directly, such as documents in iCloud Drive. Data stored in third-party CloudKit containers are not included in any export that Apple provides. Developers should provide their own method for users to get a copy of data stored in their CloudKit containers.

Responding to Requests to Delete Data
Provide options for users to delete their CloudKit data from your app.

Apple too will be implementing new features to comply with the new European regulations. Starting in Early May, the company will introduce an updated Apple ID website that will allow users to download all of their data stored with the company.

Apple also plans to allow customers to use the site to correct personal information, disable Apple ID accounts, and permanently delete an Apple ID. These tools will be available in Europe first before expanding to other areas of the world.

Top Rated Comments

lec0rsaire Avatar
92 months ago
Just like the EU came down on MS for including IE ensuring dominant market share, once again the world will benefit from EU regulation. Europe tends to look out and protect consumers a lot more than our bought off Congress which always looks the other way while corporations do what they want.

I think it’s great that we’ll be able to download everything Apple has. I wonder if I’ll find photos and documents that I deleted a while ago. While Apple is not as dependent on our personal data is Facebook and Google are, it’s still a good idea to keep them honest.

In fact, although some Google products are superior like Maps and Google’s assistant, I simply don’t use them because of the rampant data collection. I do exclusively use google as a search engine since they have the best product. Also gmail since I’ve had it since the invite only days and it revolutionized e-mail. I refuse to use Docs, Photos and Drive since I just don’t trust them with the contents of my hard drives. The only way to protect your data is to keep it local. I use iCloud for convenience but only for stuff that is not really sensitive. I would never upload my entire drive to iCloud either.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0947347 Avatar
92 months ago
Just like the EU came down on MS for including IE ensuring dominant market share, once again the world will benefit from EU regulation. Europe tends to look out and protect consumers a lot more than our bought off Congress which always looks the other way while corporations do what they want.

I think it’s great that we’ll be able to download everything Apple has. I wonder if I’ll find photos and documents that I deleted a while ago. While Apple is not as dependent on our personal data is Facebook and Google are, it’s still a good idea to keep them honest.

In fact, although some Google products are superior like Maps and Google’s assistant, I simply don’t use them because of the rampant data collection. I do exclusively use google as a search engine since they have the best product. Also gmail since I’ve had it since the invite only days and it revolutionized e-mail. I refuse to use Docs, Photos and Drive since I just don’t trust them with the contents of my hard drives. The only way to protect your data is to keep it local. I use iCloud for convenience but only for stuff that is not really sensitive. I would never upload my entire drive to iCloud either.
While back, I also thought that google search engine was the best.

But now I use DuckDuckGo and never look back. For my privacy concerns and my needs, there is probably nothing better
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
britboyj Avatar
92 months ago
I'm one for privacy, and the GDPR's intentions are noble on its face, but the incredibly vague language and requirements are going to drive a huge number of websites and app makers out of business. If your favourite app or website is ad supported, expect it to hit some very rough times ahead.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
0947347 Avatar
92 months ago
You can use Google search without all the Google crap, use https://www.startpage.com
One learn something new every day.
Thank you for that.

Anyway
I also like the DuckDuckGo for the layout
and ease of change of background colour

Edit: screenshot added

Attachment Image
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
foobarbaz Avatar
92 months ago
Just like the EU came down on MS for including IE ensuring dominant market share, once again the world will benefit from EU regulation.
Aside from a weird unbundled version they sold in Europe, the EU didn't really affect IE dominance.
What's killing IE is another monopolist using their dominant market share to push their browser at every possibility. You might call it poetic justice, but I think it's just more of the same problem …

But otherwise I agree. So far companies didn't have a reason not to just collect everything just in case they need it. Now they have a reason, and maybe that's enough to make some people consider their practices.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
simonmet Avatar
92 months ago
They never did. E-Mail has been around for 30 years and never needed any Google treatment.

Just like WhatsApp "revolutionised" messengers. They were readily available on all platforms. Here comes WhatsApp, limits use to a friggin phone, makes you upload your number and those of all people you know to their servers, shares it with Facebook and lo and behold, it's all the rage. Senseless, mindless hype is all it is.
That was my point in asking the rhetorical question. :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...