A competition regulator has accused Apple of misleading users about the level of privacy offered by the App Tracking Transparency feature. That accusation, while made in good faith, is based on a misunderstanding.
The iPhone maker has responded by saying that it may be forced to withdraw the privacy protection from EU users …
Apple’s ongoing battle with EU regulators
This is the latest development in a series of conflicts between Apple’s approach to privacy and European laws designed to prevent large companies from abusing a dominant position in the market.
EU laws say that Apple must provide a level playing field for third-party companies wishing to compete with the company’s own products. This means that if Apple has access to data it can use to improve the functionality of its own products, it must make that same data available to competing companies. Apple, however, argues that the way it accesses data respects user privacy and it cannot trust third-party companies to do the same.
In the most recent example, the EU noted that an Apple Watch is able to obtain the Wi-Fi history of a paired iPhone, while competing smartwatches cannot do the same. Apple has chosen to remove the feature from EU Apple Watches rather than share data with other companies.
App Tracking Transparency
App Tracking works by Apple assigning a unique identifier to your device. It doesn’t reveal any details about you, but does allow them to see (for example) that iOS user 30255BCE has visited gadget websites, and therefore would be a good target for gadget ads.
With App Tracking Transparency, app developers must ask you if you want to allow that tracking. If you say no (as most people do), then the apps are not allowed to use that system.
Apple accused of misleading users
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