Apple Apps Track User Despite Refusing Consent | Here's Why

Urian B., Tech Times 16 June 2021, 02:06 am

Apple apps track user activity despite them refusing content. The enforcement of App Tracking Transparency is not really proving to be as effective at helping users curb away from data collection by apps just like Apple promised, according to experts.

Apple iOS 14.5 Update

According to ScreenRant, the brand new privacy framework was officially implemented along with the arrival of the Apple iOS 14.5 update. This is where users are allowed to accept or deny any particular app's request to trace what they are doing to help serve the users targeted ads in return.

In fact, Apple actually made it mandatory for every app to present standardized prompts which should ask users for their permission to allow tracking throughout other apps and websites. App Tracking Transparency should cover every particular app that wants to collect user data for tracking or for sharing with other possible companies.

iPhone Uses Third-Party SDK

This can be very useful for showing users personalized apps, sharing location data with them, or email lists along with advertising partners. This could also help put a third-party SDK in an app which would enable targeted ad placements at a large scale.

At the very center of everything is the IDFA or Identifier for Advertisers. This essentially serves as a sort of license plate for an iPad or iPhone. Any particular app that would want to link user data along with the device identifier for tracking should first ask the user for their permission.

Facebook Protests Apple Protection

While a lot of privacy watchdogs have already welcomed the move, companies which include Facebook have openly been unhappy with the new changes. The social media giant publicly protested against the App Store privacy label and even launched an official campaign directly against the ATT framework.

Apple, on the other hand, is still very adamant that users should maintain a choice as to whether or not they want to be tracked and given targeted ads. However, a lot of experts have recently claimed that App Tracking Transparency turns out to be not as effective at controlling user data collection by apps as it was previously thought to do so.

Data Collection Still the Same

An article by Financial Times shares Eric Seufert, marketing strategy consultant, personal explanation about the issue. It was noted that anyone opting out of tracking as of the moment is basically given the same level of data collection as they used to have. Thousands of apps were all able to collect data despite users choosing not to allow app tracking, according to the report.

The reason for this issue is that third parties still utilize workarounds like collecting data like IP addresses to help them identify users. Through the use of the "fingerprint" tactic, some of the advertisers are also able to continue their data collection methods on over 95% of their user base which are hooked on their iPads and iPhones.

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Written by Urian B.