According to a new report, Apple has made several changes to its factory security policies to prevent leaks while also increasing data privacy.
Under the updated guidelines, the company’s manufacturing partners are no longer allowed to collect biometric data such as fingerprints or facial scans from Apple employees, but this does not apply to factory workers, the reported The Information. The news site claims to have obtained an internal Apple document outlining the changes. One change is that manufacturing partners that Apple works with, such as Foxconn and Pegatron, are no longer allowed to collect biometric data from Apple employees. But they are still free to collect such data from their own employees, even if those employees make Apple products.
Apple wants to upgrade its own computer system
The guidelines also include other changes designed to help combat product leaks in the supply chain. For the first time, Apple is requiring manufacturers to conduct criminal background checks on all employees. The company is also mandating increased use of surveillance cameras in these facilities. Another change includes Apple increasing its focus on the "movement of sensitive parts within factories." As part of this change, an internal security alert must be triggered if a component "takes an unusually long time to reach its destination." Apple will also upgrade its system for tracking parts and components within these factories:
Apple is upgrading its own computer system installed in some factories to determine how long parts should stay at one production station before being moved to another. The system uses Apple's own software on Mac Minis to collect and analyze manufacturing data, according to the person familiar with Wistron's operations in India. This type of monitoring can help Apple determine whether manufacturers are cutting corners in the wrong places, something Apple sometimes accuses even its biggest partners of doing, according to people familiar with the systems. The system can also prevent theft of components.
Stricter security guidelines, more data protection
Apple's new security guidelines for manufacturing partners also include a requirement that guards at checkpoints "maintain detailed logs of the movement of workers carrying sensitive parts from one area to another," according to the report. Factory visitors must now also show identification, which was not previously required. Finally, security cameras must now capture all four sides of transport vehicles, and videos showing "the destruction of prototypes and defective parts" must now be retained for at least 180 days. The Information notes that these changes are viewed as a double standard by factory workers and partners, who believe Apple is essentially tightening supply chain security in countries with lax data protection laws. Employees also say the changes—particularly regarding the collection of biometric data—come as Apple redoubles its focus on data privacy, but the same standards are not being applied to supply chain workers. (Image: Apple)
