IOS 14.5 is available for download starting this week. Anyone who has installed the update will most likely have seen one or the other new pop-up. With this, applications ask if they are allowed to access user functions. TECHBOOK has found what works for you.
Several media outlets have now reported that Apple will put an end to surveillance. That is not entirely correct. With iOS 14.5, iPhone users first have the option to control app tracking. So far, the apps have been able to exchange data with each other without noticing anything. Now Apple is discovering this process and giving users control over it. Applications should now ask if you are allowed to use data from another application – and you can discard.
However, that doesn’t mean apps can suddenly be tracked anymore. TECHBOOK explains why that is.
Controls iOS 14.5 application tracking
With the update comes a new function to protect privacy: application tracking transparency or ATT. Craig Federjee, Apple’s senior vice president, describes the operation of the Wall Street Journal as follows: “ATT helps users choose whether they want to track apps and websites.”
IOS has long set aside the Advertiser Identifier (IDFA) for every iPhone. This ID is unique and allows you to track user activity between applications. For example, if you are looking for a specific article in one application, this article will appear as an ad in another application. One application sends information to another via IDFA.
In iOS 14.5, IDFA will no longer be sent automatically. Instead, you can decide for yourself whether you want to allow access to an application. For this purpose, a pop-up will now appear when an application wants to access IDFA. Application developers have the opportunity to explain why they need IDFA. Some applications already display their own message, which explains what the data is for.
You can disable this query from the beginning in the settings. This is possible with the option “Settings> Data Security> Monitoring Allow applications to request monitoring”. On the same page you will also find applications that you have already decided on. This then allows the tracking to be approved or rejected. Unlike websites that show pop-ups asking for cookies, iOS only asks once per application.
Follow the steps: iOS 14.5 is here – do I need to install the update now?
With iOS 14.5 Apple cannot block all types of app tracking
Although applications can block access to IDFA, they can use so-called “fingerprints” to create tracking IDs that are independent of tracking on iOS. Fingerprint works with personal user profiles that can be used to identify individuals across websites and applications.
Apple’s inability to block fingerprints is somewhat lost in the pop-up German translation (“Reject application tracking”). In English it is called “Ask not to track”. This makes it clear that monitoring cannot be turned off completely. These terms were chosen wisely because Apple cannot guarantee one hundred percent that an application is not tracking.
Federici says that none of the apps owned by Apple are currently showing pop-ups. This is because none of the applications will send data to third parties.
Facebook is fighting against application tracking in iOS 14.5
Facebook said in a statement to the New York Times: “Free, ad-supported services are fundamental to the growth and vitality of the Internet. But Apple is trying to rewrite the rules to give it an advantage and deter others. The company also called Apple’s approach “hypocrisy” and “anti-competitive.” Earlier this year it was reported that Facebook was operating in a hopeless case.
The company is currently using the option to notify users about their data usage before the pop-up appears. In a window, Facebook explains what user data it needs. In one Post on your own blog The company also writes: “Apple’s new claim states that there is a conflict between personalized advertising and data security, while we can actually provide both.
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