Apple Tries to Peek at User Habits Without Violating Privacy

Apple is tapping new technology to garner insight into user behavior, in an effort to keep pace with rivals’ insights without violating its privacy pledges.

Called “differential privacy,” the technology will be included in a fall update to iOS, Apple’s operating system for iPhone and iPad. It will help the company’s engineers “spot patterns on how multiple users are using their devices,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. The technology works by adding incorrect information to the data Apple collects. This is done in such a way that Apple’s algorithms can extract useful insights while making it very difficult for anyone to link accurate data back to an individual user.

Apple’s short-term ambitions for the technology are limited. In the long term, however, differential privacy could help Apple keep up with competitors that collect user data more aggressively and use it to improve offers such as image- and voice-recognition programs.