Apple’s Fighting Fraud By Giving You A “Trust Score” Based On Calls & Emails

Tech giant Apple – presumably taking a leaf out of an episode of Black Mirror – will begin assigning “trust scores” to people based on how they use their Apple devices.

According to an update in its privacy policy, the company says the scores will be determined by tracking the number of calls and emails made on any Apple device. There are yet to be any specific examples of how this is expected to work, but Apple is hoping the system will be used to combat fraud.

“To help identify and prevent fraud, information about how you use your device, including the approximate number of phone calls or emails you send and receive, will be used to compute a device trust score when you attempt a purchase,” the update says. “The submissions are designed so Apple cannot learn the real values on your device. The scores are stored for a fixed time on our servers.”

Despite Apple’s assurances, there’s no denying it’s all scarily reminiscent of that Black Mirror episode, Nosedive, in which people are given ratings which determine their socioeconomic status. That very concept is even being introduced in China right now, where its citizen’s social ratings will be used to determine access to things like credit. In short – fuck that, dude.

The biggest question is how exactly this data will be used, because, at the moment, the company hasn’t given any indication other than the vaguely worded statement above.