Apple Warns App Tracking Transparency Could Be Disabled in Europe

[ikramerica]

Dateline Cupertino,

Today Apple announced that their upcoming iPhone 18 line of phones will come in a special EU version, running the Android OS. Apple announced these new phones as “the most advanced Android phones money could buy.”

“Android OS really flies on Apple Silicon” said newly rehired employee Sam “Sung” Stuan.

Added Apple CEO Tim Xi Cook: “These iPhones have the highest profit margin of any iPhone yet, as we were able to cut both our R and D and legal costs in half.”

 

[ikramerica]

yea and as far as i know this is what this is about. Apple prevents other from tracking but track the user themselves. I think the user should be able to withdraw from all tracking.

No, it’s about Apple saying they don’t do so for ADVERTISING purposes and the EU saying that it’s unfair that companies that make their money off selling your data aren’t profiting.

Not all EU laws are pro-consumer. Many are intended to protect or benefit the middleman.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Apple *could* just stop allowing apps to track you. They *are* the keepers of the sandbox after all.

I'm guessing they don't want to do that because perhaps they'll get called out for all the data they're hoovering from our phones for their own use?

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

Sad Steve never got to witness Euro-Commies Vs. Apple Corp
Honestly might be a fair match

I actually wonder if he would've pushed Apple so hard in the direction Tim Crook has. May have been a non-issue!

 

[rorschach]

That is not the issue. The issue is that Apple is the only advertiser that is allowed access by default.

Access to what by default? Apple doesn't ask for App Tracking Transparency permission because they don't track you across other companies' apps. There is no rule preventing a company tracking you across their own apps; they don't need to ask permission for that. If Meta (for example) only tracked you within their own apps and websites, they wouldn't need to ask permission either.

 

[whatnot]

the EU is trying to establish a survailance state the old "communist" regimes of Eastern Europe could only dream of.

what 'surveillance state'? has it sold out to Meta? since when is EU even a 'state'? and why is 'communist' in brackets? Eastern Germany had its own surveillance on par with the worst of them, and now it's going all fascist again. what's it got to do with iPhone settings, I have no idea.

 

[marte91]

I think there should have always been a browser default that cross domain script and cookie access was always forbidden and the referrer header was discarded. The design of HTTP and web browsers enabled this.

They will never enable this by default, and by them i'm referring to any company that benefits financially from any analytics collected from the end user.

 

[haruhiko]

One word : corruption

 

[tennisproha]

You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

You did some good EU but enough is enough now.

I'm in favor of EU regulations but who are they even trying to protect here? Seems like the EU is looking after businesses when they're supposed to be watching out for consumers.

 

[Fara82Light]

Is one US Technology business influencing EU policymaking against another US Technology business?

 

[iPrabhu]

​

"French regulators said that Apple complicated the process for users to opt out of tracking "


Article Link: Apple Warns App Tracking Transparency Could Be Disabled in Europe

Really? It is one of the easiest implementations. User is prompted to select their choice when the App is launched and they say yes or no. How is this complicated?

 

[Sophisticatednut]

So ad brokers have a legal right to operate without oversight from the consumer? Seems shady

That is not the issue. The issue is that Apple is the only advertiser that is allowed access by default.


I don't really agree with the EU here, but I understand where they are coming from. You can relate it to Google - they have the power to populate the search with their own options, and Apple has given themselves that power.

I'm guessing what the EU wants is something similar that allows the user to choose their own data sucking villain (ad provider), so that Apple doesn't become the only ad provider on peoples devices (like Google has through Chrome).

It’s the issue of Apple excludes itself from tracking the data. So Apple need to follow the ATT rules they imposed universally

 

[surferfb]

It’s the issue of Apple excludes itself from tracking the data. So Apple need to follow the ATT rules they imposed universally

They do.

See various posts in this thread. Go example:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d-be-disabled-in-europe.2469702/post-34245975

 

[I7guy]

EU has some good consumer protections. The DMA isn't one of them and removal of ATT also isn't one of them.

 

[justanotherdave]

I doubt that the EU simply wants a level playing field. How can they generate revenue from fines by such a straightforward fix?

If the issue is Apple not exempting their own Apps then the solution is simple: Apple includes their own services in ATT. Apple ad revenue is so small it’s like the change in Tim Cook’s couch and wouldn’t really cost them anything.

But that’s not what this is about. Companies like Google and Meta want to have tracking back instead of Apple abiding by ATT for their own Apps. The latter doesn’t do anything for them as they’re still not allowed to track users across Apps. They don’t give a damn if Apple adds themselves to ATT as it does nothing to line their pockets. They’re just pointing it out and hoping that it somehow means they should be allowed to track.

Just watch and see what happens. The simple solution won’t be acceptable to them or the EU.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

EU has some good consumer protections. The DMA isn't one of them and removal of ATT also isn't one of them.

It’s national rulings, not EU. I would be suprised if ATT can be removed in any practical sense considering GDPR would then still force them to ask for the same permission anyway…

They do.

See various posts in this thread. Go example:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...d-be-disabled-in-europe.2469702/post-34245975

I will check the legal reasoning as it seems fairly odd.

I doubt that the EU simply wants a level playing field. How can they generate revenue from fines by such a straightforward fix?

If the issue is Apple not exempting their own Apps then the solution is simple: Apple includes their own services in ATT. Apple ad revenue is so small it’s like the change in Tim Cook’s couch and wouldn’t really cost them anything.

But that’s not what this is about. Companies like Google and Meta want to have tracking back instead of Apple abiding by ATT for their own Apps. The latter doesn’t do anything for them as they’re still not allowed to track users across Apps. They don’t give a damn if Apple adds themselves to ATT as it does nothing to line their pockets. They’re just pointing it out and hoping that it somehow means they should be allowed to track.

Just watch and see what happens. The simple solution won’t be acceptable to them or the EU.

One thing that gets in the way for them irrespective of ATT
GDPR and heavy fines they all have recived for failing to get clear consent before tracking such personal information

 

[nucl30us_m]

Didn't know I could altogether disable apps from asking to track me. Done. Just out of curiosity, who says "Sure, go ahead, track away!" ??

 

[realmccoy69]

Does anyone find this effective anyways? I've opted out of everything and I get targeted adds in all my apps. all my social accounts know the second I look at something on google or amazon... or talk about or occasionally think of something 😂 .

you still have to go and block personalised advertising in social media and browsers , always opt out

 

[ikramerica]

you still have to go and block personalised advertising in social media and browsers , always opt out

That because that tracking is in the app. You are using apps with no privacy policy so they allow google to track you in their app and are paid by google.

ATT is not about you agreeing to an app’s (lack of) privacy policy.

It’s about stopping the app from collecting information about your phone and scraping info from other apps.

If you don’t want Amazon, meta or alphabet to track you, avoid the web, only use Apple apps, and don’t use facebook, etc

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

You did some good EU but enough is enough now.

Story as old as Star Wars. Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.

 

[Apple Tangled]

Does anyone find this effective anyways? I've opted out of everything and I get targeted adds in all my apps. all my social accounts know the second I look at something on google or amazon... or talk about or occasionally think of something 😂 .

I mean you still have your Google and Amazon accounts which are off-limits to Apple, so they can still track you with your search histories and shopping preferences. Not to mention social media accounts where you probably use the same email or phone number to register. It's not that hard to craft your digital profile even if Apple just makes it a lot harder. Microphone surveillance is not true, it simply reflects effective data mining. You probably only talk about sth. because you saw a video on social media, or read a Google News headline, or whatever.

 

[Apple Tangled]

the land of GDPR now wants to allow advertisers to track consumers?
Is privacy their focus, or do they have a vendetta against Apple, or are they being paid/lobbied by Meta and other advertisers.

It's just general hostility against foreign tech companies, especially American ones, since they are often the strongest. Europe lacks initiative in this field, so they take whichever side that supposedly benefits Europe. In this case, European developers and companies that rely on user data over privacy. But in the case of AI, you will see the exact opposite mantra.

 

[RedWeasel]

Seems like every feature released by Apple becomes another payday for some European government. $150m Euros? Really? I’m sure that money totally went to the French people. Apple has to be the biggest cash-cow in Europe! I mean, it can’t just be a lawsuit to change the way something works. It always has to involve ridiculous amounts of money.

No worries, Apple gets around 20 000 million USD from Google each year to keep Google as the default search in Safari, so they will have no troubles paying those 150 million USD.

 

[RedWeasel]

no, the government knows better than you what's good for you ...

You mean Apple knows better than you...

 

[7zarkie7]

"Apple is referring to App Tracking Transparency (ATT), a feature that lets iPhone and iPad users decide whether to allow apps to track their activity across other apps and websites for advertising purposes. Users can choose to allow apps to ask for permission, or turn off tracking entirely."

How about Apple just drops the advertising id completely. That would support security and privacy. Since when was it in our interests as Apple users to have an advertising id ? We would be very naïve to think that Apple does not use access to this to take advantage of its position in the marketplace. Privacy and security on the iPhone is a bunch of self serving crap to justify the high walls which granted many people like but at least we should have an honest discussion about their true motives.