The New York Times investigative reporter Nick Confessore has covered data privacy long enough to make the iPhone his smartphone of choice.
His take on data-hungry Android phones is damning enough to make anybody switch to an iPhone. He also offers other tips for keeping your data as safe as possible these days. Unfortunately, that’s not very safe at all, according to Confessore.
“I use an iPhone because Apple has some reasonable tech in place to protect your privacy,” Confessore says in a Q&A in the Times Personal Tech section, which frequently showcases Times journalists and the tech tools they use on the job. “Android phones, running Google’s operating system, are voracious and arguably unscrupulous collectors of information on about their owners; an Android phone with Chrome open sends your location back to Google about 300 times a day, according to one study.”
iPhone and data privacy: Securing your information
Apple’s emphasis on data privacy is a big selling point for the pricey iPhones. Apple CEO Tim Cook is a vocal supporter of strict laws regulating what personal information can be made available to tech companies through apps, devices and social media platforms.
Confessore said he limits the Google apps on his iPhone. (However, he uses Gmail because the Times does.)
The reporter goes as strict as he can with all privacy settings and mostly uses DuckDuckGo for more private searches. Confessore has done a lot of reporting in the last year on Facebook’s problems with data privacy. During that time, he covered how bad actors used the platform to spread bogus information during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Once I started reporting deeply on Facebook, I deleted all Facebook-owned apps from my phone, including Instagram,” he said. “I don’t know exactly who has access to the data those apps collect, but while meeting with confidential sources, I don’t want to risk that an app on my phone might be sending Facebook my location.”
Just this morning, Confessore’s colleague Mike Issac broke news of Facebook’s plan to integrate its messaging apps (Instagram, Messenger and WhatsApp).
Confessore uses Signal, an encrypted messaging app, for sensitive communications with sources and colleagues.
Source: The New York Times
