As technology is more and more involved in our lives, people are sharing more personal data than ever before. However, the number of data breaches increased at the same rate. Moreover, many of these violations involve our critical health information. Aware of this situation, Apple has also redesigned HealthKit and the Health app with new privacy parameters. Here are the details…
HealthKit and the Health app have been redesigned!
The Apple Health app makes it easy to access your health and fitness information, and offers useful information for you to live a healthier life. Apple Watch and iPhone also bring together more than 150 different types of health data from authorized third-party apps and devices and connected healthcare providers. HealthKit, on the other hand, securely stores your health and fitness information and allows you to control all data in the Health application.
People’s health information is even more important than their personal data. Apple, on the other hand, develops software that protects this data (HealthKit), allowing you to control what data is stored in the Health app and which data is shared with third-party apps and people you trust.
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The iOS operating system minimizes the amount of health data sent to Apple servers and creates health measurements on the device. Two-factor authentication is also a device passcode, and for users with devices running iOS 12 and higher, the Health app encrypts data end-to-end. As a result, data in the Health app cannot be read by anyone, including Apple.
Looking at this in a bit more detail, the data displayed in the Health app such as Trends and Highlights, resting heart rate and Cycle Tracking estimates are calculated on the device. On-device storage and computing status also prevent Apple from seeing this data and from accessing it to provide health metrics and summaries.
As we have stated, the health data of individuals is even more important than other personal data. For this reason, the person should be in control of what data is shared with whom and how it is used. In the revamped Health app, you can also view and control data sharing with your friends, family, and healthcare providers in the Sharing tab.
This health data stored in HealthKit is encrypted on your device and you can only access it with a password, Touch ID or Face ID. Of course, in an emergency (even when your device is locked), first responders can access your critical medical information from the Lock Screen, as the Medical ID feature is activated.
The Health app offers the same security measures not only during use but also when storing data in the cloud. For example, data is encrypted end-to-end even when synchronizing between your devices via iCloud. Of course, you can change these settings by going to Settings > Apple ID > iCloud > Health.
So what about third-party apps? Data in the Health app is shared with apps when you give explicit permission for each data type. However, only when you give explicit permission for the data type, no one can access or add data to the data in the apps Health app. Already, before accessing any data, other apps send you a request to access the Health app information.
shiftdelete.netAlso, apps have to meet certain criteria to request access through Health and HealthKit. This is detailed in the App Store Review Guides and Developer Program License Agreement. In this context, the information you share with the applications through HealthKit cannot be used for advertising, marketing or sales to data brokers. For example, even if your cycle tracking information is shared, you will not see sanitary pad ads.
Finally, Apple says that while it does take out-of-device Health app data encrypted in iCloud to support syncing between devices, it says it strives to keep as little health data on its servers as possible. Therefore, we can clearly say that the data displayed in the Health application on iPhone and Apple Watch is produced on that device.
For example, sensors built into the Apple Watch, such as the optical heart sensor, or sensors such as the gyroscope built into the iPhone, transmit their information to the operating system. The operating system then calculates health summaries stored locally in HealthKit and finally shows them to you on the Apple Watch and in the Health app.
Of course, you can turn off these and other features if you wish. For example, your iPhone collects information from the gyroscope, accelerometer, and barometer, and iOS converts it into data such as total steps and floors climbed. However, you can turn it off in Settings > Privacy & Security > Movement & Fitness > Fitness Tracking.