Since December 2020, new and updated apps on the App Store should show what they’re tracking.
BSmartphone users should be careful when installing apps. The central questions are: What data does the app collect? And what actually happens? According to Apple, the regular app comes with six built-in trackers. With two data protection functions, Apple wants to ensure more transparency and reduce tracking on the iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. They are both not really new. The company has already presented its outlook at WWDC 2020.
More visibility in the app store
Since December 2020, app developers have had to report the user data their apps collect. This information is then displayed in an easy-to-understand language on the app store on the app’s download page. For example, if you scroll down when entering the Facebook app, you will see that the company may collect a lot of data from the user in order to follow them on other websites. This is just the tip of the iceberg. The developers can hardly defend themselves against the transparency attack, as it applies not only to new applications, but also to upcoming updates. This sparked an uproar at Google, for example. True, the company was noisy
the edge Some apps like Google Translate or Google Authenticator have already been refilled, but other services like YouTube or Gmail haven’t been updated for weeks. But there should be no intention behind it. In one
Enter the blog Google is promising more updates for the future – including a data protection notice.
Users can opt out of ad tracking
It seems logical that users want to continue watching videos on YouTube despite the hint of collecting mania. To make sure the apps don’t collect too much data, Apple has integrated an add-on in iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS. With the help of app tracking transparency, apps must first ask the user for permission before they can also log your data in apps or on third-party websites. Similar to the camera or website version, a short dialog appears on the screen where the user can decide whether or not to allow the app to track the data. If you fail the first time, do not be afraid. In the settings, the option can be turned on and off for each app at any time. The functionality will be available for the first time in the next beta. This will be iOS 14.5.
