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
99 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
99 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
99 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
99 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
99 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
99 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

iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
ios 26 1 slide to stop

iOS 26.1 Brings Back 2007 Feature in New Way

Friday October 31, 2025 1:40 pm PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a small but helpful change for iPhones, and it could prevent you from running late to something important. Specifically, when an alarm goes off in the Clock app, there is a new "slide to stop" control on the screen for turning off the alarm. On previous iOS 26 versions, there is simply a large "stop" button, which could be accidentally tapped. The new ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
M5 MacBook Pro

Waiting for New Macs? Apple Just Shared Bad News

Friday October 31, 2025 7:32 am PDT by
Apple has just given a strong indication that it will not be releasing any additional new Macs for the remainder of the year. Apple's CFO Kevan Parekh dropped the hint during the company's earnings call on Thursday:On Mac, keep in mind, we expect to face a very difficult compare against the M4 MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and iMac launches in the year-ago quarter.Parekh essentially gave a heads up ...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 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 at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
Coffee Burgundy and Purple iPhone 18 Pro Mock 1

Leaker Outlines Potential New Colors for iPhone 18 Pro

Friday October 31, 2025 8:28 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 18 Pro models could be available in new rich and warm color option, according to a known leaker. The Weibo user known as "Instant Digital" today suggested that next-year's iPhone 18 Pro models will be available in at least one of the following color options: Coffee, purple, and burgundy. The iPhone XR, iPhone 11, iPhone 12, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Pro were all available in ...
apple tv hd

Apple Launched Its Big New Vision for TV 10 Years Ago Today

Thursday October 30, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple launched the Apple TV HD, the Siri Remote, tvOS, and their accompanying App Store a decade ago today, marking a major overhaul of the device. The new vision for the Apple TV was unveiled on September 9, 2015 during Apple's "Hey Siri" event in San Francisco, where CEO Tim Cook introduced the device with the statement, "The future of TV is apps." The announcement represented a major...