Compilation/Calligraphy
A year ago, Apple When updating the highly anticipated new privacy policy, an ad was also put in to visually illustrate the function of this function through video. This advertisement describes the daily experience of an ordinary person: whenever he interacts with an enterprise, an employee of the enterprise will haunt him and collect and disseminate his personal information at any time and anywhere. When this person was confused, a prompt appeared on iPhone, providing the option of "Ask App Not to Track". When he clicked this button, all the uninvited guests turned to ashes and disappeared in front of him.
Although this advertisement is easy to resonate with users, it is actually not accurate. This feature, called "App Tracking Transparency" (ATT), will not completely block all tracking behavior of enterprises to users in Internet and mobile applications, because Apple can't do it, nor does it want to do it. User data will still be collected, but the type and method of collection will change. However, the final result is almost the same: you will still be targeted by advertisements.
This is not because ATT does not work. Its real role is not only limited, but also difficult for most iPhone users to understand, because the whole process is achieved by inserting a few lines of code into the opaque world of advertising technology. For many people, the only obvious change is that when you open an app, sometimes you will be prompted "Disable app tracking".
But under this surface, many changes have taken place. Data is the basis for the survival of the mobile advertising industry, but ATT suddenly cut off one of its data streams, subverting the entire industry. In the past year, enterprises developed on this basis have been exploring various alternative measures and re planning strategies. In comparison, enterprises that do not rely on these data are more powerful than ever.
From the perspective of user privacy, the launch of ATT seems to be a good thing. However, it is not as well described as Apple.
Gains and losses brought by Apple due to the adjustment of privacy policy
The introduction of ATT aims to solve the privacy problem. But Apple is "responsible" for this problem. As early as before the birth of the iPhone, the Internet was full of various user information tracking mechanisms, but the iPhone and its third-party applications made user data show a blowout growth. People carry mobile phones anywhere and anytime. Almost everything can be handled with mobile phones, and they will be online at any time. While this technology brings convenience to people, it also makes it easier for mobile applications to collect and realize user data.
Today, the mobile advertising industry has a very large scale. First, collect user information through mobile devices, then draw user portraits based on this information, then launch accurate advertising based on the portraits, and finally measure the advertising effect. Many tracking activities occur without the user's awareness.
For example, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has implanted tracking programs in millions of third-party applications and websites, associating the behavior of a device in one app with the behavior of the device in other apps tracked by Meta, and even with the Facebook or Instagram account of the device holder. In this way, enterprises can put precise advertisements on the applications and websites embedded with the Meta tracker to the user.
But few people want to be monitored. Apple also doesn't want other companies to use Apple devices to monitor Apple users, nor does it want to use its own data to pave the way for the business of third parties to become bigger and stronger. Given that Apple has been working hard to build a corporate image that values privacy, this situation is obviously unfavorable to Apple. What's more, Meta, also a technology giant, is one of the major beneficiaries of data collection. ATT can prevent one of the many tracking methods without causing any harm to Apple.
ATT hands over the control of the unique serial number of the device, that is, the advertiser identifier (IDFA), to the user. When using different apps, trackers can use IDFA to identify devices, so as to associate user activities in different apps with specific devices. Starting from the iOS 14.5 system update in April 2021, Apple devices will no longer send IDFAs to the outside world unless users agree to be tracked. At present, it seems that this function is running in full accordance with Apple's commitment.
"User data belongs to users, and users should be allowed to decide whether to share it and with whom." An Apple spokesman said, "In iOS and iPad OS operating systems, Apple can let users decide whether to allow apps to track them through other companies' apps or websites."
Illegal ways to bypass ATT
ATT has two major limitations. The user chooses to disable tracking, which means that it is prohibited to send IDFA externally. However, enterprises can still track them across applications through other means. Apple only restricts the way of IDFA, not other ways, and Apple's own advertising business will also use other ways.
For example, "fingerprint identification". This requires collecting as much seemingly harmless device information as possible, including device name, model, user settings, IP address and operator. Combining these details may be enough to distinguish different devices, thus effectively replacing IDFA. Although Apple's App Store policy prohibits this behavior, it cannot be prevented technically. Users can only rely on Apple's policy enforcement, but it is reported that Apple's implementation is not strict.
"It's a bit like a cat and mouse game." Some researchers said that some apps can still collect device information and use it as a basis to distinguish users.
History has proved that, no matter how blocked, professional user data collection companies can always find a way to break through and continue to collect user data.
The researcher from the University of California, Berkeley, said, "The browser tries to add more privacy protection, such as blocking third-party tracking cookies, while people who want to track users will design new tracking mechanisms to avoid continuing to rely on technologies that have been eliminated or blocked. It is like a military defense contest."
The lesson for users is that they should not think that they can get rid of data tracking simply because Apple has introduced the blocking function.
Compliance bypass ATT
To understand how Apple's anti tracking function affects user privacy, we also need to see how it will affect enterprises that rely on data tracking. The answer is simple: such enterprises generally resist Apple's new privacy policy.
Apple said it did not know how many users refused to be tracked. The measurement results of different institutions are quite different, but most institutions believe that the vast majority of users (hundreds of millions) refuse to be tracked. Therefore, although the tracker can still find Apple users and Android users (at least Google Before the launch of their own no tracking function), they still face huge losses from obtaining device level data there.
A senior practitioner said, "This has subverted the field of mobile marketing. Marketers must now break their dependence on user data."
Some companies are even desperate to turn to email marketing, which is traditional paper mail. Because Apple is also cracking down on email based tracking. Some enterprises think that Meta's advertising budget has been cut because the advertising effect of its platform is getting worse.
Zachary Ehrilich, director of paid advertising at Doctors Internet, said that customers are being encouraged to use Google search advertising. For customers who insist on using Facebook, he will embed tracking phone numbers in the ads to judge whether they have obtained returns through these ads, because Meta's feedback can no longer be as accurate as before. Jon Shanahan, co-founder and chief marketing officer of male skin care brand Stryx, said that the advertising budget was originally allocated to Meta and TikTok. But since last August, he has allocated all the budget to TikTok.
"In the past, investing one dollar on Facebook could earn a return of five or six dollars," said Shanahan. "Now what? It's good to have a return rate of one-to-one."
Meta is not the only digital advertising company affected（ Snap But it did attract the most attention, not only because of its large scale, but also because of its criticism of the adjustment of Apple's privacy policy.
Meta insists that ATT will damage its business. However, it mainly claims that this will harm small businesses that purchase advertisements through Meta. The actual situation is well known. The result is also true. Although Meta advertising business is still growing and creating huge profits, the growth rate has slowed down. This is a very dangerous signal for Meta, a huge ship that relies heavily on advertising.
Meta said, "Although Apple has introduced adverse policies, we will continue to adjust the system, make the enterprise successful, respect privacy, and share the measures they can take to optimize the advertising performance and measurement methods on our platform."
Fortunately, there are other ways to track users in compliance with Apple's policies. Apple does not allow enterprises to continue to track and locate users across applications at the specific device level, but they can still track and locate users as a whole. In other words, although enterprises cannot continue to target a specific user, they can still target a group of users anonymously. (Google has tried a similar approach with FLOC to replace the web-based tracking program, but failed.)
It is also possible to place "contextual" advertisements. Although this model is not new, it has regained popularity in the case of a relative lack of user level data. This is not just because ATT, the introduction of privacy laws and the demise of website cookies also played a role. Situational advertising will place corresponding ads based on the content that users are viewing. For example, if you are using the fitness bracelet application, you may see fitness equipment advertising.
The "walled garden" is getting stronger
Some tracking has been promoted as never before. Apple does not prohibit enterprises from tracking users on their own platforms (that is, "first party data"), nor does it prohibit enterprises from using these data to accurately advertise on their own platforms. Even Apple itself is doing this. Many enterprises that do not have their own first party data sources are now stepping up the construction of databases, or acquiring such data through mergers with other companies. Because of this, more and more enterprises strongly recommend or even force users to create accounts before using their services.
Analysts said, "A retail company can directly Amazon Advertise on. Because everyone will log in, they have enough data... This will not be affected (by ATT). These walled gardens will only become stronger as a result. "
As a user, if you know who is collecting your data, what data is collected, and what the purpose is, you may not care much about the tracking behavior of the first party. If you know who the other party is and what the transaction you have concluded with the other party is, you will even be willing to exchange your data for free services, but you do not want your application data to be sent to the company behind without knowing it.
But this model will also have some unexpected consequences. The companies that benefit most from the rise of the first party data and the decline of the third party data are the companies with the most first party data, often the world's top enterprises, such as Google and Amazon.
The fast-growing advertising business of Apple also uses the first party data. Enterprises affected by Apple's privacy policy are deeply angry about this. In response, a report commissioned by Apple pointed out that. ATT is not the only factor influencing these enterprises.
Others worry that with the growing value of the first party's data, the already powerful walled garden will gain more power. Big brands and large enterprises have enough resources to adapt to changes, while small enterprises do not. Diana Lee, CEO of Constellation, an advertising technology company, believes that this means that they will rely more on walled gardens than ever before and will be left behind by giants with more obvious advantages.
"Overall, this will create more monopolies, which may be technology giants or large brands," she said.
The existing monopoly position may also be strengthened. Apple itself is also facing antitrust pressure, and many countries will introduce laws against App Store (but Apple denies violating the competition principle).
Today, Apple has just slightly adjusted its policies, overturning the entire industry and completely reversing the fate of many enterprises. Admittedly, these enterprises may not have taken such behavior that consumers dislike from the beginning, but Apple's power and control are clearly reflected in this privacy policy adjustment.
