One of the stalwart features of Apple remains its security and user privacy. It’s one key aspect that has kept Apple users loyal all these years. The tech giant was concerned about app privacy and how user’s data gets tracked. For this reason, the company is going to make a key privacy software update.
On Tuesday, December 08, 2020, the US-based tech giant said it would increase its app privacy through a new software update coming in 2021. Apple will ensure that developers comply with its anti-tracking policy, and users know about their data collection. If an app tracks users without consent, the company will take that application down right after the first warning.
Recently, Apple announced that it would be making software changes limiting the tracking for targeted advertising.
What’s with this new Apple privacy change?
On Tuesday, Apple’s executive confirmed that they are raising their app privacy. This would drive more transparency in the data collection of users. Thanks to the new anti-tracking feature of Apple, the developers would have restrictions to access user’s information.
The new privacy measures designed to allow people to stop websites and apps to track them without their consent are set to get rolled out in the upcoming year.
Steven Paul Jobs-founded tech giant will not hesitate to kick apps off its App Store if they go against their policy. Apple has already warned the app developers, either they’ll obey, or they’ll have to leave the App Store.
The iPhone maker was to launch ‘App Tracking Transparency’ software this year, but it got delayed as the developers needed more time to make changes. Apple wants to empower its users, who can decide about their data tracking.
New Apple privacy measures will allow users to protect their privacy and whether they are willing to allow particular apps to track their data. It would make it more transparent the way data gets shared with other companies or websites.
Apple up against Facebook!
As things stand, the anti-tracking privacy policy will increase Apple’s image among its users. However, tech rivals like Facebook will not accept this as they make money using digital advertisement and target online advertising needs user’s data.
Facebook has already protested against Apple’s mobile software move, saying that it would hurt many of its developers and publishers. Zuckerberg’s social platform believes that this could damage their traffic; amid the ongoing pandemic impact.
Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, said tech users must have enough power to control their data. He opposed the arguments from tech firms and advertisers that believe Apple’s move would damage the online ad industry.
With the new software update, each app will share its data collection record and a summary of its privacy policy. Also, applications on the Apple App Store will update users with more details about their personal data tracking.
For Apple, security has always been a priority, and the tech giant provides its users with maximum privacy. Over the past few years, increasing privacy concerns have made Apple take significant steps to ensure users’ privacy. Data collection through online advertising plays a crucial role in leaking users’ information.
In collaboration with Cloudflare, Apple has also developed a new internet protocol named Oblivious DNS-over-HTTPS (ODoH). This protocol will split the user’s information making it difficult for internet providers to track which websites users visit.
“ODoH protocol will divide the information regarding who is making the query and what the query is,” said Cloudflare’s research head Nick Sullivan.
