Advertisers Hijack Apps To Equity Apple's Privacy Efforts And Developers
JAKARTA A new report reveals that a number of popular applications on iPhones, such as Candy Crush, Tinder, and MyFitnessPal, are used by advertisers to track user locations. This happened despite Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature, even without the knowledge of the app developer.
Apple introduced ATT to iOS 14 in 2020, a major step that has succeeded in suppressing data collection by advertisers. The effect is so significant that it causes a decline in Facebook revenue of 12.8 billion US dollars (Rp208.8 trillion) in a year. However, advertisers are now reported to have found new ways to secretly collect and monetize user data.
Reports from 404 Media reveal that bad actors in the advertising industry are leveraging the Real-Time Bidding (RTB) system to massively collect user location data. RTB is a mechanism that allows advertisers to bid on in-app advertising space in real-time.
In practice, this system does not involve direct violations of ATT. Instead, data collection is done through the delivery of the ad itself. User location data can be collected without involving tracking codes from application developers, so this happens out of their control or users.
Gravity Analytics, the location data company involved in this report, is reportedly obtaining global data through this system. The company even has a subsidiary named Venntel who is known to provide location data to law enforcement in the US.
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Users are advised to take protective measures, such as blocking ads, using apps that focus on privacy, or selecting app versions without ads. However, the scale of this problem is huge and requires fundamental changes to the digital advertising ecosystem.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently banned similar companies, Mobilewalla, from engaging in data collection through RTB. Although this move puts pressure on companies like Gravity Analytics, without major changes to the RTB platform, the risk of privacy breaches will continue to threaten users.
This news comes shortly after Apple reaffirmed its commitment to user privacy, following the settlement of lawsuits related to privacy issues. Are these measures sufficient to protect users in the future? Only time can answer.