Apple’s Anti-Tracking Plans for iPhone

Post by ratww » Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 11:50 AM UTC

user-the-name wrote: post #7

madeofpalk wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My impression was that IDFA was a concession provided by Apple a while ago when they restricted APIs to the stable device identifiers. The IDFA was an identifier that advertisers could use and could be controlled by the user, which was seen as a privacy improvement on advertisers just using the device serial number. I could be very much wrong, but this was my understanding.

That is correct. The IDFA is a compromise to get rid of older, more invasive tracking methods that ad networks used. Apple blocked access to the more sensitive data, and instead provided the IDFA which allows users to opt out, and limits the ability to combine data from different sources. Making the IDFA opt in is now a second, stronger step towards user privacy.

    [[UIDevice mainDevice] uniqueIdentifier]

Post by auslegung » Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 11:54 AM UTC

user-the-name wrote: post #31

encom wrote: post #25

Support Free software instead, and stop begging Apple for permission to control what happens on hardware you own.

What free software phones are there that actually take steps to prevent tracking? Most free software OSes I know about generally give apps lots of access to the system they are running on, which makes tracking a lot easier.

Post by notRobot » Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 11:58 AM UTC

lvass wrote: post #42

niea_11 wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can see a list of apps that share you activity with facebook here (even if you didn't install any facebook app on your phone or didn't use facebook login feature) : https://www.facebook.com/off_facebook_activity/activity_list (click "Manage Your Off-Facebook Activity" on the right if you're on desktop)

This requires a facebook account, though they likely do have data from those not registered.

Post by user-the-name » Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 11:59 AM UTC

auslegung wrote: post #43

user-the-name wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What free software phones are there that actually take steps to prevent tracking? Most free software OSes I know about generally give apps lots of access to the system they are running on, which makes tracking a lot easier.

PinePhone, Libre phone to name two. I’m guessing there are some android ROMs that could do this as well but not positive

Post by rattray » Tue, Dec 15, 2020, 12:02 PM UTC

lotsofpulp wrote: post #39

endymi0n wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having been on both sides of the table, I would slightly disagree here. Fraud prevention for example will get an order of magnitude harder, plus this move will further skew the playing field towards FAANG who have the resources to puzzle the scraps back together for decent conversion tracking with the help of logins, IPs, SDKs with First Party IDs and a massive dose of machine learning.

I wonder if it would be profitable for Visa/Mastercard/Discover/AmEx to sell a verification service where people can authenticate with a $0.01 authorization or approval amount. Obviously, it wouldn't work with gift cards or other accounts not tied to a real person.