According to the publication, Apple will update the software because applications that can track user behaviour on the Internet will have to ask them for permission.
Chinese tech giants – ByteDance, which owns social networking site TikTok, and telecoms holding Tencent – are testing a program called CAID to circumvent new privacy rules from US-based Apple potentially. On Tuesday, by the Financial Times, it was reported, citing a document for Chinese app developers that mentions the program.
According to the publication, in the coming weeks, Apple will update the software in its smartphones, resulting from which applications that can track user behaviour on the Internet will have to ask them for permission. Today, apps could use Apple’s IDFA (The Identifier for Advertisers) system to see when users click on ads and which apps are downloaded. Most users are expected to opt-out of tracking, resulting in the loss of billions of dollars for the online advertising industry.
“The App Store terms and conditions [in the app store] apply equally to all developers around the world, including Apple, and we strongly believe that you should ask for their permission before tracking [actions] of users,” the corporation said. Apps that ignore the user’s choice will be rejected. “
In response, the China Advertising Association (CAA), which includes advertisers, consulting, research organizations – only about 2 thousand members – launched a new way to track and identify iPhone users called CAID, which tech companies are now testing. And advertisers in the country, reports the Financial Times.
The document, cited by the newspaper, suggests that advertisers “can use CAID as a replacement if the IDFA system becomes unavailable.” Individuals with knowledge of what is happening at ByteDance and Tencent have confirmed that they are testing the program, but both companies declined to comment, the article said.
At the same time, the CAA said that the CAID system “does not contradict Apple’s privacy policy” and the association “is currently actively cooperating with the American corporation, and this decision [CAID] has not yet been officially implemented.”
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