Facebook and Snapchat violate iOS privacy
Apps such as Facebook and Snapchat have appeared to run personal ads in violation of a privacy policy announced by Apple.
Apple has announced that they will take user privacy to the next level with iOS 14.5. The Facebook and Snapchat apps allegedly collect user data in violation of Apple’s privacy feature.
In May, Apple introduced App Tracking Transparency, which allows users to disable tracking by apps and websites for advertising purposes. This feature, which was liked by many users, caused some companies to react.
Facebook and Snapchat can track iOS users for advertising
The Financial Times, which investigated the issue, found that Apple allows apps to collect user-level data. User-level data covering information such as IP address, location, language, device, and screen size is crucial for personalized ads.
Apple has announced that anonymized data can be processed in some companies. Underlining that data should not be mapped directly to specific user profiles, the company paved the way for user-level information from iPhones.
“Data should not be obtained from a device for the purpose of uniquely identifying a device,” Apple warned the developers. Despite the company’s warnings, it turns out that some firms, especially Facebook and Snapchat, show users-only ads.
In June, Apple found that some firms have come up with workarounds to identify users who disapprove of their tracking consent. The company, which is working on this situation, which violates The Application Tracking Transparency procedures, has been criticized.
