confidentiality European users iPhone this could suffer very soon, Apple warns. Cupertino residents claim that the pressure they receive in countries such as Germany and Italy, among others, They could be forced to deactivate App Tracking Transparency (ATT) in Europe.. The feature debuted in 2021 with iOS 14.5 and allows users to block tracking and data collection by apps installed on their mobile devices without consent.
The potential erosion of iPhone privacy in Europe was addressed by Apple in a statement sent to the agency this week. DPA. Speaking about the future of app tracking transparency in the European Union, Apple representatives were insistent: “Intense lobbying efforts in Germany, Italy and other European countries may force us to abandon this feature to the detriment of European consumers.”
The Californian firm indicates that they will continue to push for authorities to allow them to continue providing access to app tracking transparency in Europe. However, they made it clear that the last word may not be yours.
Why is the iPhone’s key privacy feature under scrutiny? Since app tracking transparency debuted in 2021, many companies involved in the online advertising business have been up in arms. After all, without the ability to record users’ online activities, they can’t show you personalized ads and it’s bad for your business.
Apple’s references to the cases of Italy and Germany are not accidental. In both countries, the implementation of app tracking transparency is under investigation as an alleged anti-competitive practice by Cupertino residents. And this isn’t the first time this iPhone privacy feature has been at the center of a conflict on the Old Continent. This year, for example, France fined Tim Cook 150 million euros for implementing this feature.
Apple may turn off app tracking transparency in Europe
App tracking transparency was one of the most important new features of iOS 14.5 in 2021. Its implementation was critical to improving iPhone privacy, as the pop-up window allowed users choose whether to allow the app to track them on first launch.
The impact of app tracking transparency was immediate and led to significant public complaints from companies in the advertising industry. Meta was one of the biggest names in this regard, followed by Facebook, whose personalized advertising business quickly suffered.
The success of app tracking transparency was immediate. Shortly after the release of iOS 14.5, only 4% of US iPhone users allowed apps to track them. Meanwhile, globally, only 12% of Apple cell phone users have kept their advertising ID activated.
However, the future of this function in Europe may be in jeopardy. According to Apple, regulators are proposing solutions that make app tracking transparency meaningless as such.. Similarly, Cupertino residents say they have presented alternatives that would help preserve iPhone privacy, but they have not convinced authorities. We will continue to monitor the news.
Source: Hiper Textual
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
