Germany Considering Apple's App Tracking Transparency Changes

Does anyone else find it insane that the EU which invented GDPR privacy protections is trying to force Apple to make it easier for advertising firms to track people?

You'd think the EU would be all in favor for limiting ad tracking. More and more it just seems like a desperate attempt to extract wealth from successful American companies because Europe cannot innovate.

As long as Apple treats its own apps and third-party apps equally, they're okay.

Their claim that they might remove App Tracking Transparency only holds true if they intend to favour their own apps over third parties; which is anti-competitive and the whole reason they're in this mess in the first place.

Incorrect. ATT applies to Apple and third party apps equally. Just because the regulator doesn’t understand that doesn’t change the fact.

Much better for them if they just stop favouring their own apps in any way that's potentially anti-competitive. It shouldn't be that hard to just treat their own apps exactly as third party apps are treated.

Apple isn’t favoring its own apps. They are treated exactly the same way third party apps are treated.

Better privacy for consumers that way, if Apple apps no longer receive an automatic opt-out of tracking limitations.

ATT doesn’t apply to Apple because Apple doesn’t do third party tracking across non-Apple apps and websites.

EU busybody bureaucrats. How many stories are we up to today on MR about the EU asserting their obnoxious control over everything Apple do?

You’re blatantly incorrect here.

The article itself points out that Apple is willing to make changes in the wording in order for that aspect to become equal; in other words, it currently isn’t equal.

Also, tracking is tracking. The whole point is that Apple’s tracking doesn’t get some magical exception just because Apple is the one doing it.

If Apple provides a way to limit the tracking third parties do, users must equally be able to limit Apple’s own tracking.

None of this is true. Like in other jurisdictions, they are trying to equate first-party tracking (which any app can do including Apple’s apps) with third party tracking which requires consent (which Apple’s apps don’t do).

This is all a lobbying ploy by advertisers to bypass the tremendously successful ATT.

This is incorrect. No consent is required for either type of tracking so long as GDPR regulations are also followed.

The issue here isn’t who is doing the tracking at all, first or third party. The issue is that the first party is preventing third-parties from access to tracking while the first party retains free-reign to do all the tracking it likes. That’s anti-competitive, and that’s the issue at hand.

No, the issue, which you don’t seem to understand is that Apple prevents ALL apps (including Apple’s) from tracking across third party apps and websites without consent. So Meta can track you across Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp etc. without consent. But if Meta wants to track you across websites or apps not owned by Meta (what we call third party tracking) they have to get permission. Apple doesn’t ask for permission to track across apps and websites not owned by Apple because IT DOESN’T DO THAT.

Meta DOES track across websites and apps it doesn’t own, hence the pop-up. The regulator is mad Apple doesn’t also give a popup for its tracking, but Meta wouldn’t get the pop up if it wasn’t paying other apps and websites for your data. Again, Apple doesn’t do this.

Apple can stop being anti-competitive by treating their own tracking exactly like they treat third party tracking and give users the same options to limit Apple’s tracking in the same way. Or they remove ATT entirely, and allow all tracking. I’d prefer the former, but so long as they treat their own apps equally, they’re okay as far as the regulations are concerned.

Again, Apple is not behaving anticompetovely. Their apps are treated the exact same way as everyone else’s. In fact, Apple goes users more choice than third party apps do. Apple not only lets users turn off Apple’s tracking in first party apps, but presents the option to users among setup. Meta does not allow you to turn of Meta’s tracking in Meta’s apps.

You seem to be getting confused about first party vs third party. Third party tracking doesn’t mean “tracking not done by Apple.” It means “tracking not done by the App’s owner.”

You’re blatantly incorrect here.

The article itself points out that Apple is willing to make changes in the wording in order for that aspect to become equal; in other words, it currently isn’t equal.

Apple is changing wording to please a regulator who doesn’t understand the difference between first party tracking and third party tracking. That doesn’t make me incorrect, it makes the regulator.

Also, tracking is tracking. The whole point is that Apple’s tracking doesn’t get some magical exception just because Apple is the one doing it.

The issue isn’t tracking. The regulator has no issue with tracking. In fact, the regulator wants to make it easier for third parties to track. The regulator doesn’t like that Apple’s apps don’t get the ATT warning, because the regulator doesn’t understand first party tracking is different than thirdnparry tracking. Meta is free to track users across all of their apps, no ATT prevention applies. When they try to track you across other developers apps and websites (which Apple does not do) then ATT applies.

This isn’t rock science.

If Apple provides a way to limit the tracking third parties do, users must equally be able to limit Apple’s own tracking.

They do. There is an on off switch, which is more than Meta gives in its own apps.