Apple Angers Music Consumers And Privacy Advocates With iTunes Upgrade

A new upgrade to iTunes appears to info about what songs the user is playing back to Jobs Central and it has some consumers and privacy advocates up in arms.

According to BoingBoing.net and other sources, "A new version of Apple’s iTunes for Mac appears to communicate information about every song you play to Apple, and it’s not clear if there’s any way to turn this off, nor what Apple’s privacy policy is on this information. "

Further, "An Apple "spokesman" (reliable word has it that it was Steve Jobs himself) told MacWorld that Apple discards the personal information that the iTunes Ministore transmits to Apple while you use iTunes….At very least, Apple must deliver information about whether iTunes gathers and transmits your data when the Mini-Store is switched off, and about what it does with the data the Mini-Store transmits when it’s loaded."

Some on the net (including Hypebot) have always been critical of Apple for using proprietary technologies like their own encoding schemes that limit play of songs purchased on iTunes to Apple produced devices.  But now even some admitted Apple devotees like music commentator Bob Lefsetz are expressing outrage:"

God, with no instructions, with no advance warning, who is the PRICK who thought this up. And what’s the advantage to the customer? Put Apple first. Put the labels first. And the consumer abandons you. God, it’s not QUITE enough to get me to stop using iTunes, but one more step…"

Stay tuned…