Apple to delay iOS 14 Ad Tracking Changes

9. September 2020

In an update from Apple on Thursday, 3rd of September 2020, it was announced that some of the plans that were supposed to be launched in the new iOS 14 update are being delayed. The new feature of iOS developers having to request permission from app users before collecting their data for ad tracking is being pushed back to the beginning of 2021.

This and other features are seen as a big step towards users’ privacy, which you can read up on in our previous blogpost, but they have been criticised by app developers and big tech giants alike.

The permission feature was supposed to change the way users’ privacy is being accessed, from the current opt-out method to an opt-in one. “When enabled, a system prompt will give users the ability to allow or reject that tracking on an app-by-app basis,” stated Apple.

However, this will be delayed until early next year, due to the fact that the changes would affect a large amount of the platforms’ publishers, which rely strongly on ad tracking revenue. Facebook criticized the changes and announced that some of their tools may lose efficiency, and hence cause problems for smaller app developers. To combat this issue, Apple said: “We want to give developers the time they need to make the necessary changes, and as a result, the requirement to use this tracking permission will go into effect early next year.”

In recent years, Apple has taken its users’ privacy more seriously, launching new adjustments to ensure their right to privacy is being integrated in their devices.

„We believe technology should protect users’ fundamental right to privacy, and that means giving users tools to understand which apps and websites may be sharing their data with other companies for advertising or advertising measurement purposes, as well as the tools to revoke permission for this tracking,” Apple emphasized.

Category: EU · GDPR · General
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