Security News > 2021 > May > App Tracking: Apps plead for users to press allow, but 85% of Apple iOS consumers are not opting in

Mobile app analytics company Flurry is measuring how many users of iOS 14.5 are opting in to allow apps to request to track them - and so far only 15 per cent worldwide have done so.

One of its new features is enforcement of what Apple calls AppTrackingTransparency, which means that apps must request permission from the user before tracking them or accessing the Apple device identifier.

Tracking is defined by Apple as "The act of linking user or device data collected from your app with user or device data collected from other companies' apps, websites, or offline properties for targeted advertising or advertising measurement purposes. Tracking also refers to sharing user or device data with data brokers."

The company does make exceptions for fraud detection, credit assessment, and cases where the linking happens "Solely on the user's device." Even when users allow apps to request tracking, the permission is still per-app and can be declined.

It has been measuring the percentage of iOS 14.5 users who have opted into app tracking, with the current figure 15 per cent worldwide.

Flurry does require developers using its library to announce that their apps collect data in the app privacy labels now also required by Apple.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2021/05/11/85_of_apple_ios_users/