Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

German data privacy regulator probes Apple Store temperature checks

The Apple Schildergasse location in Cologne, Germany.

A regional German data protection office reportedly has concerns about the privacy risks posed by customer temperature checks at Apple Stores that recently reopened in the country.

Apple officially reopened its 15 brick-and-mortar retail locations in Germany on May 11 and in accordance with the company's coronavirus policies, it is checking the temperatures of customers before they enter the store.

The Hessian data protection agency has launched a probe to determine whether the temperature checks violate European Union privacy regulations, according to a report from Bloomberg Law.

Hesse is a state in Germany where retail locations such as Apple Grosse Bockenheimer Strasse, in Frankfurt, and Apple MTZ, in Sulzbach, are located.

There aren't any results from the probe, but the Hessian office is reportedly coordinating with other regional data protection agencies in Germany.



20 Comments

baconstang 10 Years · 1161 comments

Privacy concerns about temperature checks?

What are they doing?  Taking temperature rectally?

mknelson 9 Years · 1148 comments

Privacy concerns about temperature checks?

What are they doing?  Taking temperature rectally?

Well, they do mention a probe…

It's likely concerns about if the temperatures are being recorded and linked to a person, also concerns on how customers will be treated/reacted to if they have a fever.

hammeroftruth 16 Years · 1356 comments

Last time I heard about Hessians was history class covering the revolutionary war.

They were pretty brutal. 

Now they want to make sure you’re not invading their privacy. 
So how do you balance in that area, a persons right to privacy vs. a persons right to safely conduct business?

apple ][ 13 Years · 9225 comments

I'm all for privacy, which is why I've never been on FB etc., but this is just moronic.

I don't have an issue with any stores taking the temps of anybody who wishes to enter.

This is not mandatory. If anybody doesn't wish to have their temp taken, then don't fucking enter. Nobody is forcing anybody to visit any Apple store. Go find an Android store that doesn't take temps and visit that instead. Have fun.

What privacy concerns are we talking about here? 

The privacy of an infected person to not have their sickness revealed and for that sick person to be allowed to enter and to infect and potentially kill others with their nasty germs?