Apple's anti-tracking iPhone feature 'functionally useless', claims study

[iMore.com]

A new study from Lockdown Privacy claims Apple's App Tracking Transparency feature doesn't actually work, making no difference to active third-party trackers and how much data is sent to trackers.

Full story from the iMore Blog...

 

[Wotchered]

I would really like a real attempt at an answer to this from Apple management !
We all knew this was likely going to be the truth, it would be nice to see Apple trying to keep it’s promises, both in spirit and letter.

 

[FFR]

I guess it is functionally useless unless you get a subscription from their app lockdown.

 

[Just_Me_D]

“[FONT=&quot]The group says the flaw lies in the fact the feature is based on "the honor system", and so its up to App Developers to be honest, but that apps have no incentive to be forthcoming "if all their competitors are lying."

The statement above has merit, in my opinion.[/FONT]

 

[FFR]

It could have merit, but whenever I see a company that offers a paid service to combat what they are testing, I take said results with a heavy pinch of salt. Especially when they conclude that ATT does in fact stop apps from “tracking” according to apples definition, but not theirs.

Full disclosure: I actually have been using their app lockdown for about a year now.

 

[scruffypig]

I have been using Privacy Pro for a long time. It does essentially what Lockdown Privacy does.

 

[FFR]

Guess those ex apple engineers weren’t being completely truthful about ATT in their report.

 

[FFR]

Seems to have hit facebooks revenue as well…

 

[FFR]

Guess this study has been proven to be inaccurate.

Might disappoint some posters …

 

[shuxin898]

That's the way to do it!
click to mine, thanks

 

[Up_And_Away]

“Study” is too frequently synonymous with Marketing. Extremely deep pocketed competition have a vested interest in this “study”.
Apple hasn’t and never claimed this was full privacy. When you use a third party app you can and likely be tracked to your personal identification. But what Apple did successfully is stop an app from gathering information specifically about you across what you do on a smartphone. I should say the iPhone prompts you to ok or decline tracking through your phone/off app. No more accessing your gps or your call log for example.
But it is important to note that anonymized data (data collected but not recorded to your identity) is a gray area for app makers. But I have significantly less concern about anonymous data. Apple does collect mostly anonymous data but ironically they ask for permission to collect anonymously. This may be the next big step in privacy for Apple - data must be anonymized except what you are doing in a specific app (this is why Google is feeling fine about Apple’s change. They get loads of specific identity in app data from those using Google search engine, gmail and contacts, chrome as well as Google maps).