Apple announced the launch of a new privacy feature next spring, which will allow users to make their own data choices.
Apple's highly anticipated App Tracking Transparency tool will be rolled out in a few months, which allows users to decide whether they want their data to be tracked across different apps and websites. This feature, which will be available in early spring as part of a new version of iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14, will require apps to get user permission before tracking their data on. Applications or websites of other companies for advertising purposes. When users ask apps not to track their data, they will also need to refrain from sharing information with data brokers.

This is a fundamentally new development for the online advertising market. As a reminder, this is based on consumer profiles purchased from data brokers who collect information or buy it from other companies for the purposes of targeted advertising. A new privacy report released by Apple mentions a broker that currently collects data on 700 million consumers worldwide, building profiles that include up to 5,000 characteristics.

Apple allows third parties

Data brokers, however, are just one link in the chain which also includes a network of apps, ad technology companies, social media, websites, and others who are interested in collecting extensive data. amounts of information about users across different platforms. According to Apple, an average app has six trackers, which in most cases allow third parties to collect and link data from many different sources.
So even when generating data using a single application, user profiles end up being updated in several different databases around the world, often without their knowledge. That's why a quick web search for local playground hours can result in a week filled with harassing ads about kids' toys.
This could end soon, however, at least in devices based on Apple's operating systems. In future versions of Apple's OS, users will be able to choose whether or not to allow apps to collect the data they generate in other apps and websites. In their device's settings, they'll be able to see which apps have requested permission to track and change data as they see fit.

Start-up delay

If users choose "Ask app not to track", the app developer will not have access to the device's advertising identifier, which is often used to collect advertising data; and apps that continue to follow users who choose not to do so run the risk of being kicked out of the App Store altogether. Apple has also confirmed that users will not be required to allow tracking in order to use the full capabilities of the app.
The Cupertino company presented the application tracking transparency tool at Apple's developer conference last June, with a view to the launch of this feature at the same time as the launch of iOS 14 last October. The American giant has finally decided to delay the tool in order to give developers more time to make the necessary changes. A delay that did not please NGOs, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, who wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook to express their "disappointment" at seeing the monitoring function postponed.

A tool applauded even before its release

Privacy experts are now applauding the upcoming release of the Application Tracking Transparency Tool. For Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, “Apple's new data protection tools will give citizens greater control over their personal information. Data brokers and online advertisers will now have to act more responsibly when dealing with consumers who use third-party apps on Apple devices. ”
The new tool will complement a feature already launched in iOS 14 and iPad 14, which Apple calls a "nutritional privacy label" and which delivers an easy-to-view summary of data collected by a particular app, as well as details on how. the information is used by the developers. Developers who submit a new app, or update it to the Apple App Store, are now required to provide information about their privacy practices and how they handle data. While Apple is proud to defend privacy in the big tech industry, its announcements have not won unanimous support. Facebook, for example, describes the company's new privacy policies as potentially harmful to small businesses, while indirectly benefiting Apple itself. Dan Levy, Facebook vice president of ads and commercial products, recently claimed that entrepreneurs rely on advertising to make money and small businesses could end up with a more than 60% reduction in sales. of websites without personalized advertising.

Zuckerberg pouted

Without ads, developers also might not be able to provide free apps and will have to look to subscription models. Dan Levy explains that this will ultimately increase Apple's profits. On Facebook's latest quarterly earnings conference call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg took on Apple again, stressing that without targeted advertising, small businesses won't be able to reach their customers as well as they used to. "Now Apple can say it is doing this to help people, but the measures are taken clearly follow their competitive interests," also notes the CEO of Facebook. Despite these harsh criticisms, Apple continues to portray itself as a leader in the private sector and highlights the dozens of technologies built into its products, such as cookie blocking or smart tracking prevention in Safari, iOS, and macOS.