“Truth is always bitter” is an old proverb that has been just proved again by Apple’s all-new advertisement on how your data is being tracked and analyzed without your permission. The ad showcases that a person is being stalked by many others who seem to know his name, date of birth, email address, and the fact that he is suffering from an itching problem. The stalkers in this ad represent the online trackers that gather every bit of information about every user who uses a smartphone, apps, and the internet.
Shocking, Isn’t it?
Apple is promoting the fact that the only way to secure your privacy is through iOS 14.5 that gives the user the choice whether he/she wants the apps to track him/her or not. This option was provided to all iOS users via the recent iOS 14.5 update which was disapproved by many software developers and ad managers including Facebook. It has also been evident by reports published by Flurry that more than 90% of users who updated to iOS 14.5 have decided to turn off this option and prevent apps from tracking their online activities. This includes applications developed by Apple as well in addition to all the third-party apps on your phone.
This step has caused a stir in the iOS software development community as the developers cannot promote their software based on the browsing history of a user. Apple claims that a digital profile of every user has been created which includes all the online activities, purchases, and searches ever made by the user. This data is being collected and analyzed to limit the vast world of choices available into a few suggestions and recommendations that are bound to tempt us.
It is worth noting that Apple and its apps also gathered all the data of the iPhone users before this update until iOS 14.
Apple, too, was once a part of the group that collected user’s data without their permission. But with this major change in Apple’s policy, it has decided to make everyone who uses a smartphone aware of the extensive tracking that is being done behind the user’s back. This led Apple to launch this ad and enlighten the masses with limited awareness. Apple also claims that on average any app includes 6 third-party trackers that record user’s online activities and collect their data.
The ads and marketing agencies that collect and analyze this information is estimated at $227 billion per year. Apple believes that the best defense of any user against these applications is the iOS 14.5 update. But this does not mean that Apple is against advertising, it only believes that users must not be misled or misguided by showing only those ads that are based on their past browsing activities. Instead, everyone has the right to see secular and independent ads. It also states “The Apple advertising platform does not track you, nor do any of Apple’s apps. For more understanding on How You Are Being Tracked every day, click here to read Apple’s Handbook.
