Website Bright Side of News reports that Apple has revamped the terms and conditions for its App Store for iPad users, in line with the introduction of several new features. Perhaps the most significant change is related to user privacy, in line with the introduction of support for in-app subscription purchases. The conditions now state that: “we may ask for your permission to provide the name, e-mail address and zip code listed in your account to the Licensor so that it can send you marketing messages about its own products in accordance with its publicly posted privacy policy.” It was not stated if this consent is compulsory in order to access new products, but the report argues that “it appears you cannot subscribe to in-app content without choosing to share your information beforehand.” It was also noted that once information has been transferred, it will be governed by the privacy conditions of the partner rather than Apple, which could mean it is used for a number of unrelated purposes.

The addition of subscription support comes as a number of publishers look to apps as a new way of delivering content to consumers. The most high profile of these is News Corporation’s The Daily, which was announced this week and uses a subscription-based pricing model. However, not all of Apple’s recent actions have been welcomed: the company recently blocked an eReader app from Sony which would have enabled customers to buy content from other stores, bypassing Apple (and its 30 percent levy) in the value chain. According to mocoNews, a number of European publishers are “up in arms” about Apple’s actions, and intend holding a meeting later this month to discuss the issue.

According to MacStories, Apple has also added search filters to its iPad store, enabling customers to refine searches by category, release date, rating, price and device.