Apple today released the latest version of its operation system – iOS 14.5. With iOS 14.5, Apple has brought a much-talked upon feature called App Tracking Transparency, a feature that gives iPhone and iPad users the choice to now allow third-party apps and websites to track them for advertising purposes. The update also brings a feature that will allow users to opt out of all app-tracking by going into Settings > Privacy > Tracking > Allow Apps to Request to Track, and toggling the switch off. As the new privacy feature kicks in for all iPhone and iPad users across the world, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Software Development, Craig Federighi talked about the feature in an interview with Wall Street Journal. In his interview, Federighi explains the new feature as something that “gives users the choice of whether they want to be tracked across a choice of apps and websites." However, the feature has more to it than just that. Let us take a look at what Mr Federighi has to say about the latest feature that has been criticised by many tech companies including Facebook as something that “hurts competition."
Federighi, in his interview with WSJ, said that the App Tracking Transparency feature affects the IDFA code in iPhones and iPads. IDFA is a unique tracking number that is an identifier for advertisers. IDFA is used to track a user’s activity between apps – like searching for a product on Amazon or Flipkart, and then seeing the same or similar products in ads on other apps like Instagram or Facebook. This happens because the shopping app and the social media app shared information on a user using the IDFA number. With iOS 14.5, the IDFA number is not automatically shared between apps. If users want to let apps share their IDFA number, they have to click “Allow" on a pop-up that asks users if they want a certain app to track them across platforms.
Federighi, in his interview with WSJ, said that Apple wanted to make sure that the user had a clear understanding of the decision, and gave the developer an opportunity to explain themselves, the purpose for which they are asking to track users across apps and websites. Upon being asked as to why the new pop-up in iOS 14.5 says “Ask App Not to Track" and not simply say “Do Not Track," Federighi said that it is a policy issue for Apple to say that developers must not do a certain thing. Further, he said that currently, there is no Apple app or service that tracks users across platforms or shares information with an external data broker. However, if the company ever does something that fits the definition of tracking, it will have to show the pop-up on devices.
Upon asking on how Apple plans to tackle people’s frustration towards the overwhelming amount of pop-ups that will emerge each time a user opens a different app, Federighi said that users will only see the pop-up at first, and it will become an infrequent occurrence as some apps will stop tracking after being asked. “You’ll make the decision once and that’ll be it," Federighi told WSJ in the interview.
On the criticism that the new App Tracking Transparency feature has got from the likes of Facebook, Federighi said that the company had expected some initial panic responses. “It wasn’t surprising for us to hear that some people are going to push back on this, but at the same time, we were completely conscious that it is the right thing to give users a choice here."
On privacy being a factor in buying decisions, Federighi said, “Personal information can be used and abused, and even weaponised in a way that could be very destructive and often in a way that is not at all apparent to the person who might be giving up on that information. Years ago, people were saying privacy is dead and everyone has already given up their privacy. We just kept doing it. Because to us, regardless of whether it was a selling point for a phone, we thought it was the right thing.
In his interview, Federighi said that Apple is focused on doing the right thing and giving people the right choice. “We’re always considering the right things primarily from a customer’s perspective," he said.
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