With Apple’s approval? Facebook, Snapchat and Co. reportedly continue to track users

A huge fuss has arisen around app tracking transparency, but how effectively does it protect user privacy? Here Apple consciously or unconsciously leaves a loophole open and apparently does not currently prevent it from being exploited by advertising networks. Coincidence does not seem likely.

Some time ago Apple introduced app tracking transparency, which triggered a huge storm of outrage and rejection. Companies like Facebook, but also advertising networks and smaller companies, whose services are financed by advertising, feared publicly for the survival of their business model. Studies seem to show how much advertising revenue is falling due to the app tracking ban that most users impose on their apps due to the new query dialogs, but how effective is the new feature?

Apple may still allow advertising tracking

Apparently there is a bigger loophole here that Apple left open in the formulation and that is being exploited to the full, like the British FT writes. The guideline on app tracking transparency stipulates that any personal tracking that has not been consented to by the user must be avoided and that no alternative attempts to access this type of data are permitted and may result in sanctions.

However, it is not forbidden to use anonymized data – some of them are useful. Although this does not allow conclusions to be drawn about the individual, certain target consumer groups can be isolated, to which tailor-made advertising is then delivered. Depending on how large these pools are, privacy protection may be significantly undermined; something like this is already happening, for example through Facebook or Snapchat, it is said.

So far, Apple has not done anything about it – either out of ignorance – unlikely, or in order to enable the commercial exploitation of the ecosystem through a back door.

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