Users' location is one out of a bunch of sensitive data that can be gathered quite easily by any apps on any mobile operating system.
But in conjunction with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws in the European Union, Apple that has already updated its privacy controls in preparation, is also removing apps from App Store that share users' location data with third-parties without the users consent.
According to 9to5Mac, some app developers have had their apps removed from the store.
They also received an email from Apple that "upon re-evaluation," their application is in violation of sections 5.1.1 and 5.1.2 of the App Store Review Guidelines, which pertain to transmitting user location data and user awareness of data collection.
Apple explains that developers must remove any code, frameworks, or SDKs that relate to the violation before their app can be resubmitted to the App Store.
What this means, apps should not only ask for users' permission, but should also inform users about what their information is being used for.
In a post-Cambridge Analytics scandal. Apple wants to make sure that the company won't be under the same criticism as Facebook. CEO Tim Cook even said that Apple wouldn’t commit the same sort of errors due to not having the same revenue model.
While Apple's move does dovetail with the GDPR mandates, it also reflects what Facebook has done to help protect users’ privacy, saying that developers:
"Data collected from apps may not be used or shared with third parties for purposes unrelated to improving the user experience or software/hardware performance connected to the app’s functionality."
Furthermore, developers "may not attempt, facilitate, or encourage others to identify anonymous users or reconstruct user profiles based on data collected from depth and/or facial mapping tools."