I know someone who sticks with a flip phone and texting as he is very concerned about any smartphone apps and their invasion of privacy.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apps Are Using Background App Refresh to Send Data to Tracking Companies
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I know someone who sticks with a flip phone and texting as he is very concerned about any smartphone apps and their invasion of privacy.
It's a shame that the author doesn't do more to help his audience understand more about the data being transmitted and collected. While it definitely helps to fuel his narrative of fear and outrage, the boring details would keep his readers from deleting apps that they enjoy for the sake of their "privacy".
The reality is this: the privacy referenced by Apple in it's marketing and PR is with regard to PII and the collection and sale of yours by Apple. The trackers referenced in this article are mostly being used in aggregate for analytics. Apple still does not collect or sell your personal information. Apple doesn't allow 3PP apps to access anything that you don't explicitly allow.
If you wish to prevent tracking as described in the article, you're almost certainly too late. This kind of thing has been going on since the Netscape days and the only way to avoid it entirely is to stop going online using any device. Trackers, cookies, etc. have been a fact of online life for decades.
My question is this: What exactly are you finding offensive and outrageous in this? How exactly are you being violated, and I mean that as an honest question. How have most of you spent the past 20 years online and only now take issue with this kind of thing? What exactly are you giving up in terms of your privacy as described in the article that you've not been giving up as an online consumer for many years now? Personally, I fail to be moved by the prospect of Company A knowing that I - an iPhone (insert model) user from generic geographic area using a network of a generic type has version X of an app installed. Or that the same generic device profile is only using features A, B and D of a given app. Or that my app last polled the server for fresh content 7 hours ago using a X network. See how boring that is? That's the lion's share of the chatter your phone is having while you snore at night.
One last thing. Gmail arrived in 2004 with the promise of 2GB of FREE storage, which was absurd at the time. Every single one of us knew at the time that we'd be served ads within the Gmail experience. Every article written about the service made it perfectly clear. Furthermore, it was made clear that those ads would be targeted using the content of our emails. For 16 years a gobsmacking number of people have been using Gmail with this universal understanding - our private email is wide open to Google's targeting algorithm in exchange for a free service. How is it that so many of us are suddenly running around with our hair on fire about perceived "privacy" violations that get nowhere even remotely close to our actual intimate details as Gmail has been operating for almost 2 decades? Think about it people and put this whole thing into perspective.
The reality is this: the privacy referenced by Apple in it's marketing and PR is with regard to PII and the collection and sale of yours by Apple. The trackers referenced in this article are mostly being used in aggregate for analytics. Apple still does not collect or sell your personal information. Apple doesn't allow 3PP apps to access anything that you don't explicitly allow.
If you wish to prevent tracking as described in the article, you're almost certainly too late. This kind of thing has been going on since the Netscape days and the only way to avoid it entirely is to stop going online using any device. Trackers, cookies, etc. have been a fact of online life for decades.
My question is this: What exactly are you finding offensive and outrageous in this? How exactly are you being violated, and I mean that as an honest question. How have most of you spent the past 20 years online and only now take issue with this kind of thing? What exactly are you giving up in terms of your privacy as described in the article that you've not been giving up as an online consumer for many years now? Personally, I fail to be moved by the prospect of Company A knowing that I - an iPhone (insert model) user from generic geographic area using a network of a generic type has version X of an app installed. Or that the same generic device profile is only using features A, B and D of a given app. Or that my app last polled the server for fresh content 7 hours ago using a X network. See how boring that is? That's the lion's share of the chatter your phone is having while you snore at night.
One last thing. Gmail arrived in 2004 with the promise of 2GB of FREE storage, which was absurd at the time. Every single one of us knew at the time that we'd be served ads within the Gmail experience. Every article written about the service made it perfectly clear. Furthermore, it was made clear that those ads would be targeted using the content of our emails. For 16 years a gobsmacking number of people have been using Gmail with this universal understanding - our private email is wide open to Google's targeting algorithm in exchange for a free service. How is it that so many of us are suddenly running around with our hair on fire about perceived "privacy" violations that get nowhere even remotely close to our actual intimate details as Gmail has been operating for almost 2 decades? Think about it people and put this whole thing into perspective.
Apple tracks you on your activity. Was I not clear? Apologies. Anyone who's read Apple's privacy policy knows that Apple tracks you because they tell you, very clearly, they track you. Apple also uses trackers on their website from Adobe Target and Optimizely. Hope that clears it up.
This is why I routinely cull any apps that I no longer use.
Now that this has come to light, I expect Apple to start clamping down.
Now that this has come to light, I expect Apple to start clamping down.
Oh, got it. Their website tracks you, not their apps. But their website is above board about what it does because the activity they track is in their privacy policy.
So yes, that is much clearer than the post I quoted. Thanks.
I wonder how much roaming data this background app refresh has used over time? I live in Switzerland. Turned off.
That's a useless argument.
One individual closing their Spotify account will go unnoticed. Many individuals doing the same will cause concern. A flood of cancellations will result in action.
No it underlines your ignorance of Android, which has always listed all permissions required by an app upfront while Apple just pops up friendly "click ok to continue" boxes when an already installed app wants to get access to something forever.
No it seems you're still missing what I am saying... intentionally
Apple tracks you through your devices. The track you on their website as well, but so that I'm patently clear, I'm specifically addressing their tracking through your devices. And yes, they do track you through apps. Apple and our partners also use cookies and other technologies to remember personal information when you use our website, online services, and applications. Some of that tracking enables key functionality like Continuity. Some of it enables targeted advertising. Some of it relates to other things.
Again, Apple tracking you shouldn't be a surprise. They tell you they do it... and not just on the website.
Dude, the information being collected is one step removed from private identifiable information, PII. And the scope of these collectors is app specific. One worse offender example:
Enough information to craft a tailored phishing attack
Nothing to do about a fake narrative.
Two Questions:
- Should Apple, as a part of vetting the apps in the AppStore, run dynamic checks to verify collection profiles under the covers? If not? Why Not?
- Do you think that these dynamic-behavioral tests should be a pre-requisite to claiming being the (only) protector of the privacy realm? If not? Why Not?
They give away music for free. Ad revenue alone isn't covering their bills. Consumer data; now that's where the real money is.
Apple is stuck between a rock and a hard place. We consumers want all these convenience apps such as weather channel for free or next to free. But they cost a lot to maintain and update - how does the company monetize it's investment? Should each app have a meaningful annual subscription fee? How many people would actually be willing to subscribe?
Right now these companies sell tracking info to third parties to monetize the investment.
If Apple cracks down on all these apps due to their tracking, then these apps won't be available on iOS devices anymore. So what will people do? Same thing that they did to Blackberry - abandon the platform to one that does carry useful apps. In this case it is Android.
I highly doubt people are going to start uninstalling Spotify, especially if they are paying for it. Considering it's their main source of music. You included.
Also, did you really believe that they weren't already collecting data on you, even in the background?
No it seems you're still missing what I am saying... intentionally
Apple and our partners also use cookies and other technologies to remember personal information when you use our website, online services, and applications. Some of that tracking enables key functionality like Continuity. Some of it enables targeted advertising. Some of it relates to other things.
Again, Apple tracking you shouldn't be a surprise. They tell you they do it... and not just on the website.
Apple very clearly say "we will track you so we can sell adverts to 3rd parties and charge them 30% commission to do the targeting on their behalf"
Then Tim waves a hand and says "we believe in privacy" and fanboys forget everything
Interesting...I guess I always assumed that "Background App Refresh" needed to be on for certain types of apps (e.g., playing streaming radio when the app is in the background), but I just disabled it across the board and tested a streaming radio app, and it continued to work fine. Looks like I'll leave this disabled completely and enjoy more battery life and less data usage.
I suspect this is yet another contributor towards why my iPads are always dead when I go to turn them on after not using them for a while. Remember the days when "standby time" was amazing on Apple devices? Don't use your iPad for several days and return to it to find that the battery percentage is what it was when you left it? I recently turned off Messages and Mail and other things on my iPad and it still always ends up being dead if it's been sitting unused for a few days.
I suspect this is yet another contributor towards why my iPads are always dead when I go to turn them on after not using them for a while. Remember the days when "standby time" was amazing on Apple devices? Don't use your iPad for several days and return to it to find that the battery percentage is what it was when you left it? I recently turned off Messages and Mail and other things on my iPad and it still always ends up being dead if it's been sitting unused for a few days.
No it seems you're still missing what I am saying... intentionally
Apple and our partners also use cookies and other technologies to remember personal information when you use our website, online services, and applications. Some of that tracking enables key functionality like Continuity. Some of it enables targeted advertising. Some of it relates to other things.
Again, Apple tracking you shouldn't be a surprise. They tell you they do it... and not just on the website.
You're ignoring the obvious difference between Apple and other companies. Just because Company A and Company B both track users doesn’t mean they’re equal.
All companies use the same boilerplate terms & conditions regarding their data collection practices. However, there’s a massive difference between Apple and someone like Google or Facebook. How much data they collect, where they collect it from, what they do with it and how they monetize it. You can’t simplify it down to “Apple also tracks you” to imply they are no different than other companies.
[doublepost=1559076267][/doublepost]
Not hyperbole, simple basic fact.
From the Android developer site:
You were saying something about ignorance of Android?
