What you need to know
- Apple is boosting privacy in iOS 14.
- Users will have to opt-in if they are happy to be tracked by advertising companies.
- It will be done on an app-by-app basis.
A new iOS 14 privacy feature means users will have to opt-in to IDFA tracking on an app-by-app basis.
As reported by AppleInsider:
Apple is expanding privacy protections in iOS 14 with a tweak to IDFA handling that makes it much more difficult for advertisers to track users.The feature concerns Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), a random device identifier tag that Apple assigns to a user's device. Advertisers have long used the feature to track aggregate data without revealing a person's identifiable information.Apple's iOS 14 makes the IDFA explicitly opt-in for all apps. That means apps will need to ask users permission before they can use the identifier for tracking.
Now, when using an app that requests this feature, users get a popup notification that will state:
"(App name) would like permission to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. Your data will be used to deliver personalized ads to you."
Users can select to allow, or not to track. This is done on an app-by-app basis. As the report notes, previously users could opt-out of IDFA but had to do so through a toggle deep within the settings app. This puts the option right at the fingertips of users and also notifies them of the issue in the first place, something they might not have otherwise been aware of. Other new iOS 14 privacy tools include a feature that will let you select photos that an app can access, rather than giving you blanket access to your photo library.
