As recently as last year, Apple consistently ranked among the worst large companies in the United States when it came to ensuring that its customers’ data and interests were being protected from law enforcement and the government. In one short year, however, Apple has shot from the bottom of the pile to the top.
According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s latest “Who Has Your Back?” report for 2014, Apple now has every base covered in terms of taking measures to protect customer data and customer privacy.
“Apple earned credit in all 6 categories in this year’s Who Has Your Back report,” The EFF said. “Apple’s rating is particularly striking because it had lagged behind industry competitors in prior years, earning just one star in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Apple shows remarkable improvement in its commitments to transparency and privacy.”
The Cupertino, California-based consumer tech giant earned top ratings in each of the EFF’s six categories, which include “Requires a warrant for content,” “Tells users about government data requests,” “Publishes transparency reports,” “Publishes law enforcement guidelines,” “Fights for users’ privacy rights in courts” and “Fights for users’ privacy rights in Congress.”
As recently as 2013, Apple received a positive rating in only one category.
This year’s worst-ranked companies include Amazon, AT&T and Snapchat.