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Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

developer.apple.com

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Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#41

Post by [deleted] »

dathinab wrote: post #28
Nextgrid wrote: post #3

Full text of the clause: > 3.2.2 Unacceptable > (vi) Apps should allow a user to get what they’ve paid for without performing additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, enable tracking, or take other similar actions…

But this also excludes letting the user chose between either watching ads or paying for the content. A not very well working but reasonable business model. Why is it incompatible? Because getting access to normally payed-extra-for content by watching apps means receiving a "monetary or other compensation"

[deleted]

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#42

Post by DoofusOfDeath »

placatedmayhem wrote: post #35
easton wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, they do. On the Mac, at least for the longest time, they put a sticker on the shrink wrap for the device that said something to the effect of "By using this device, you agree to the terms of Software License Agreement found at apple.com/legal/sla". Of course, if you didn't agree with that you could return the device or install Windows/Linux, but on the iPhone (which won't activate without agreeing), you can't si…

Iirc, those shrink wrap licenses are of questionable enforceability. The Wikipedia entry on "shrink wrap contract" agrees, but I'm not well-versed on the topic.

Something about this has always confused me...

IIUC (at least in US legal system), using software without an appropriate license from the copyright holder is considered a violation of civil copyright law.

Suppose that courts deemed shrink-wrap EULAs to be invalid. If the EULA is the agreement that grants end-users permission to use the copyrighted software, would the invalidation mean that users were in violation of copyright law? Or is there a right to use the software that's implicitly granted by the original purchase?

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#43

Post by Nextgrid »

cblconfederate wrote: post #12

Thats a good thing. Can Apple guarantee that they themselves are not tracking their users' app preferences/behaviour either?

Nope they can't. In fact to use an iOS device you pretty much need an Apple account (if you want to be able to install any apps) and that comes with a privacy policy and some extra "features" you might not know about like every sender e-mail on iOS Mail being synced to their cloud.

However, at least we can find comfort in the fact that their business model so far has been against the surveillance/advertising economy and their entire marketing strategy has been based on that for the past few years, so at least they currently do not have any incentive to misuse that data even if they do collect it (and if they do eventually think about misusing it, we can hope that there would be some actual enforcement of laws such as the GDPR that would discourage them from doing so).

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#44

Post by toredash »

Nextgrid wrote: post #3

Full text of the clause: > 3.2.2 Unacceptable > (vi) Apps should allow a user to get what they’ve paid for without performing additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, enable tracking, or take other similar actions…

Should. Not "must not"

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#45

Post by ffpip »

cblconfederate wrote: post #36
ffpip wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Doesn't Apple track every app you install, access and run? Do you have a source on the them tracking every app a user runs? Obviously they have to collect every app I install for updates and subscriptions, but collecting every run might be too much.

Don't they verify executables for this reason? Do they provide info about whether they log this process?

Why would they verify it everytime you run the app? It already goes through heavy review before it comes onto the app store.

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#46

Post by [deleted] »

DoofusOfDeath wrote: post #9
Nextgrid wrote: post #3

Full text of the clause: > 3.2.2 Unacceptable > (vi) Apps should allow a user to get what they’ve paid for without performing additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, enable tracking, or take other similar actions…

I find that policy entirely acceptable, for the same reasons I think shrink-wrap EULAs should be illegal. This makes me curious about Apple and iOS / OS X. Does Apple try to require that the user accepts an EULA for the OS after buying Apple hardware?

[deleted]

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#47

Post by msbarnett »

toredash wrote: post #44
Nextgrid wrote: post #3

Full text of the clause: > 3.2.2 Unacceptable > (vi) Apps should allow a user to get what they’ve paid for without performing additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, enable tracking, or take other similar actions…

Should. Not "must not"

The subsection this falls under is "Unacceptable" as in "Will not be accepted". The "should" in the sentence is a normative statement about values, not recommendational.

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#48

Post by marvel_boy »

toredash wrote: post #44
Nextgrid wrote: post #3

Full text of the clause: > 3.2.2 Unacceptable > (vi) Apps should allow a user to get what they’ve paid for without performing additional tasks, such as posting on social media, uploading contacts, checking in to the app a certain number of times, etc. Apps should not require users to rate the app, review the app, watch videos, download other apps, tap on advertisements, enable tracking, or take other similar actions…

Should. Not "must not"

In this legal context 'should not' means 'must not'.

Re: Apple: Apps should not require users to opt into tracking to access content

#49

Post by [deleted] »

Nextgrid wrote: post #43
cblconfederate wrote: post #12

Thats a good thing. Can Apple guarantee that they themselves are not tracking their users' app preferences/behaviour either?

Nope they can't. In fact to use an iOS device you pretty much need an Apple account (if you want to be able to install any apps) and that comes with a privacy policy and some extra "features" you might not know about like every sender e-mail on iOS Mail being synced to their cloud. However, at least we can find comfort in the fact that their business model so far has been against the surveillance/advertising economy…

[deleted]
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