Communications of the ACM

We all know that apps collect our data. Yet one of the few ways to find out what an app does with our information involves reading a privacy policy.

Let's be real: Nobody does that.

So late last year, Apple introduced a new requirement for all software developers that publish apps through its App Store. Apps must now include so-called privacy labels, which list the types of data being collected in an easily scannable format. The labels resemble a nutrition marker on food packaging.

These labels, which began appearing in the App Store in December, are the latest attempt by tech designers to make data security easier for all of us to understand. You might be familiar with earlier iterations, like the padlock symbol in a web browser. A locked padlock tells us that a website is trusted, while an unlocked one suggests that a website can be malicious.

The question is whether Apple's new labels will influence the choices people make. "After they read it or look at it, does it change how they use the app or stop them from downloading the app?" asked Stephanie Nguyen, a research scientist who has studied user experience design and data privacy.