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Happy Apple protects us from tracking... except government tracking and tracing which of course is only for our best. Because governments only want our best, always.
 
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Apparently not allowing companies do whatever the f they want (track us, steal our data, sell our data, invade our privacy), is now "anticompetitive". It's becoming just another slogan.
 
GRRR! READ THE TRACKING INFO!

"When you decline to give permission for the app to track you, the app is prevented from accessing your device's Advertsing Identifier (previously controlled throught the Limited Ad Tracking setting on your device). App developers are responsible for ensuring they comply with your choices.

It goes on to offer many loopholes which have no teeth!

You have ZERO clue what you're talking about.

App developers are not responsible for anything because at the point of someone declining to give permission the IDFA returns nothing so there is no way to track a user by an advertiser other than your IP address.

In iOS 14 Apple added something called the SKAdNetwork which allows for attributing INSTALLS of apps from ads ONLY, but all ads are not app installs and its only for the specific advertising network not cross network so it's not a huge help.

If an app has advertising in the app it has to adhere to these rules of iOS 14 as soon as Apple decides to enforce them. This isn't that hard to understand.
 
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That's a ridiculous semantic. If someone breaks into your house steals your things and then passes them on to a fence for money, they are completely innocent? After all, they're not the one who is making use of your items, they're just passing them on to the real criminal network. Why should we punish some street-level robber who's just trying to earn a living?

Thats not even close. This is not like someone breaking into your house. You're downloading and using an app for FREE in exchange for ads being in the app so the person who made the app can make some money for their hard work. No one is telling you to click those ads.
 
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That setting appears, at least to me, to rely more on the honor system, versus an explicit ability to enforce. It's the enforcement piece that I had in mind...if app developers don't like a prompt to opt in/out, then install a wall against all of them.

It's not the honor system, by you turning that option on your disabling the IDFA for everything. You're doing the do not track for every app at once. That is your "wall against all of them".

As a developer I don't get to pick and choose to obey that setting, if you turn it off your device when you open an app returns nothing for IDFA so to a advertiser you look like no one.
 
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"Advertising companies and publishers have filed a complaint against Apple with France's competition authority, arguing that the enhanced privacy measures would be anticompetitive"

Because our data can't be mined for profit unless we consent it is anticompetitive? Give me a break, Zuckerberg & friends.

Seriously, one of the best things about Apple is how much they value privacy. I thank them for doing this.
Liberals, Left Wingers and Conservatives make themselves a joke of themselves when they make these nutty claims. It should be a requirement for apps by default. Why shouldn’t people know if their browsing history is being tracked?
 
I really believe this feature will never be added to iOS 14. The first half of 2021 will come and go. When we get to WWDC 2021 I think, Apple will come up with something different to limit tracking more but not outright block it if someone says no.

I think if someone were to say NO to tracking iOS could generate a random IDFA for each app or each app launch instead of just outright returning nothing.
Exactly. Who cares about customers nowadays anyways? F them over and collect the sweet cash. It is just beautiful.
I am not saying anti-customer is a good thing. I just state the fact. At the end of the day, that “magic” toggle could be designed to be just a placebo toggle and we may never know.
 
It's anticompetitive because it puts Apple in a privileged position compared to other apps and networks. Apple has access to your demographic info and knows what apps you use, and won't have to display these prompts (or respect them!) in its own apps.

That said, it's a weaker argument than with Google, because Apple itself isn't primarily an advertising network (except for App Store ads) and thus isn't directly competing with the ad networks it's crippling.
During the setup process you are given the option to send or not send information to Apple.
 
WTH? In France of all places? France is part of the EU which has some of the strictest privacy laws in the world (hello GDPR?). This feature that Apple will grant will provide even more privacy protections. Doesn't make sense to me other than "money talks".

Keep in mind this is a private lawsuit, not one brought by the government of France (or its competition agency). That's an important difference - we similarly see lots of private antitrust suits in the US that the US government agencies wouldn't bring, and might not even support.

The French competition agency could be in a difficult position arguing for this given the government's strong focus on privacy protections - perhaps even stronger than the EU generally.
 
Why be sneaky about siphoning personal data with subterfuge? Why not allow a blatant opt-in option so the device owner can decide what data they want to share? Why? Because the advertisers and some app developers rely on shady practice of collecting data and selling it. Nothing is FREE. One way or another, you are definitely paying for any app you download.
 
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Share this with all of your friends...​

Hopefully, most people will disable ad tracking and keep themselves safe.

In the meantime, users who do not want apps to be able to access their device's advertising identifier can go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and toggle off Allow Apps to Request to Track.
 
Why be sneaky about siphoning personal data with subterfuge? Why not allow a blatant opt-in option so the device owner can decide what data they want to share? Why? Because the advertisers and some app developers rely on shady practice of collecting data and selling it. Nothing is FREE. One way or another, you are definitely paying for any app you download.
I'd be happy to pay for any app that does what I want - other than things like banking apps where you have no choice but to use the one your bank supplies. In which case you have already paid for it!
 
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Why be sneaky about siphoning personal data with subterfuge? Why not allow a blatant opt-in option so the device owner can decide what data they want to share? Why? Because the advertisers and some app developers rely on shady practice of collecting data and selling it. Nothing is FREE. One way or another, you are definitely paying for any app you download.
Because the business model is to hope most people don't figure that out or are too lazy to do anything about it.

Flipping the default requires those companies to persuade people to turn on tracking. Which of course they may do by making it obligatory to use the app.
 
Apple absolutely tracks its users. Certainly not to the same extent as other gargantuan tech companies, but the notion that Apple “doesn’t even track its users” is absurd.
The problem with this statement is that it makes no sense. Apple doesn't have an advertising platform besides the basic App Store and News ads, so what would they even do with the information they're supposedly tracking?
 
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You have ZERO clue what you're talking about.

I beg to differ but I do try to continually educate myself which is precicely why I chose to read Apple's wall o' text on the matter, you might want to read it as I suggested.

Settings -> Privacy -> Tracking -> Learn More

It clearly states "App developers are responsible for ensuring they comply with your choices". Why would Apple include this language unless there was a way around it? The 4th paragraph is filled with examples of what is not tracking though to any reasonable person it is clearly tracking.

You can cry all day long about the IDFA but what about screen shots, clipboard scraping, etc? Notice how when iOS 14 betas started showing clipboard scraping and all of a sudden everyone acknowledged "bugs" that would be fixed in the next version? None of those apps made it to iOS 14 release unchanged so only beta testers and tech minded consumers knew that these scumbag devs were taking spying to the next level! So don't be surprised when we the consumer don't believe one word the ad supported world has to say, its your own fault. The tracking warning doesn't fix everything but at least if a consumer is warned when opening apps that they are being tracked they can make an informed decision and privacy in general is advanced.
 
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The problem with this statement is that it makes no sense. Apple doesn't have an advertising platform besides the basic App Store and News ads, so what would they even do with the information they're supposedly tracking?
You…just answered your own question, but that’s not all. For example, they engage in user tracking for business purposes, like determining their active user base (iOS devices do way more “phoning home” than most might think) and assigning a score to each device based on numerous factors to determine how “genuine” a device’s behavior is.

Sure, there’s good reason for it, but it’s still tracking. To quote myself:
[…] the notion that Apple “doesn’t even track its users” is absurd.
 
You…just answered your own question, but that’s not all. For example, they engage in user tracking for business purposes, like determining their active user base (iOS devices do way more “phoning home” than most might think) and assigning a score to each device based on numerous factors to determine how “genuine” a device’s behavior is.

Sure, there’s good reason for it, but it’s still tracking. To quote myself:
Tracking is usually associated with unwanted behavior or sending away user information for purposes of spam calls or advertisements.

Continuity of service is not a definition associated with tracking. Tesla tracks it's cars for continuity of service. Cable/Fiber companies track their equipment for continuity of service. Apple tracks it's devices for continuity of service and a modicum of user experience. There is no way a modern infrastructure can function without two way communication to and from the devices it supports.
 
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Tracking is usually associated with unwanted behavior or sending away user information for purposes of spam calls or advertisements.

Continuity of service is not a definition associated with tracking. Tesla tracks it's cars for continuity of service. Cable/Fiber companies track their equipment for continuity of service. Apple tracks it's devices for continuity of service and a modicum of user experience. There is no way a modern infrastructure can function without two way communication to and from the devices it supports.
Tracking is tracking. Unwanted tracking is unwanted tracking.

Like I said, there’s good reason for what Apple does track. Doesn’t make it not tracking.
 
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Tracking is tracking. Unwanted tracking is unwanted tracking.

Like I said, there’s good reason for what Apple does track. Doesn’t make it not tracking.
Doesn’t make it tracking either. You are taking a definition of a word that is a common definition and applying some spin on the definition. Tracking is usually associated with nefarious activities and not helpful activities.
 
So we're ignoring the actual monopoly here (Google) and claiming Apple's wording (which is true) is anticompetitive, despite Apple being a company that doesn't even track its users or serve many ads?

Seems like there are Bigger issues at stake then just Apple

No can can say one one hand "black is black" but if it helps on the other hand, it's "ok"

privacy is not like a middle ground, so why is it classified as one if its supposed to be important?
 
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