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Business Insider is reporting that Apple’s launch of iOS 6 brings with it not just Passbook and bad maps, but a new means of tracking user activity, too.
The report suggests that Apple has started tracking users again so advertisers can target them, using a new technology called “identifier for advertisers ” (IFA). A random, anonymous number assigned to a user and their device, IFAs are temporary and can be blocked like cookies.
The number is used to pass specific adds to apps and web pages when you use your phone, and can be used by companies to identify when a user is looking at their ad and when they are “converted” and make a purchase. While IFAs don’t identify you personally, they do provide a bunch of data about your browsing and purchasing habits.
Annoyingly, this tracking is switched on by default in iOS 6—but you can turn it off. Weirdly the option doesn’t appear under the “Privacy” setting. Instead, go to “General,” then “About,” and then navigate to the “Advertising” section. From there, you need to to turn “Limit Ad Tracking” on. (That’s a little counterintuitive, admittedly.)
So if you want to stick it to the man this morning, make sure IFAs aren’t tracking your browsing. [Business Insider]
Image by Tischenko Irina/Shutterstock
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Fortunately the tracking is tied to Apple Maps so your real location is 100% safe.
OOOOSH!
I doff my cap at a most awesome of replies
“a little counter-intuitive”
Really?! It’s almost like they don’t want you to find it..
What?, Apple, hiding things from people. The very idea!
Are they allowed to do this in the UK with the change in law about cookies and similar tech?
What exactly does it mean by “limit ad tracking”? what parts does it limit and which bits are exempt?
I just wish Apple would stay right away from introducing advertising into any of it’s platforms. It dumbs them down, gets in the way and tarnishes the brand. We pay extra for our iDevices and services and part of the incentive is a dignified safe productive experience free of stuff we’re not actually interested in.
It’s not like they are not making enough profit selling the phones in the first place!
Ha Ha enough profit, so naive!! Apple is Google but with nice looking expensive hardware.
It was the first thing I turned off when I upgraded to iOS 6. Not sure how I knew about it since day 1; I thought I had read it on Gizmodo. Probably not if you only found out :-p
The wording “limit ad tracking = on/off” is all sorts of wrong.
You think that’s hidden away.
Did you even know about this one you also gotta turn off / opt out?
http://oo.apple.com/
Sorry,
Here’s more info on my vague link above.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4228