Privacy activist files complaints against Apple’s tracking tool

[HempBoosh]

Summary

A group led by privacy activist Max Schrems on Monday filed complaints with German and Spanish data protection authorities over Apple’s online tracking tool, alleging that it allows iPhones to store users’ data without their consent in breach of European law.

 

Quotes

Quote

The complaints by digital rights group Noyb were brought against Apple’s use of a tracking code that is automatically generated on every iPhone when it is set up, the so-called Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA). 

The code, stored on the device, allows Apple and third parties to track a user’s online behavior and consumption preferences – vital for the likes of Facebook to be able to send targeted ads that will interest the user.

“Apple places codes that are comparable to a cookie in its phones without any consent by the user. This is a clear breach of European Union privacy laws,” said Noyb lawyer Stefano Rossetti. 

The claims were made on behalf of an individual German and Spanish consumers and handed to the Spanish data protection authority and its counterpart in Berlin, said Noyb, a privacy advocacy group led by Austrian Schrems that has successfully fought two landmark trials against Facebook.

 

 

My thoughts

Apple fans would always say how their products are more privacy respecting than Android, though I always found that hard to believe. And at this point I've grown to expect most digital products to collect some anonymized metrics about me. I suppose that's only a thing with American products as the EU seems to look at that more strictly. I guess that's why German and Spanish data protection authorities are involved.

 

Sources

https://cybernews.com/news/privacy-activist-files-complaints-against-apples-tracking-tool/

[Ashleyyyy]

with all these topics i wonder if the information is collected on devices with the tracking enabled. you can disable analitics in settings on all apple devices, i wonder if it's collected when you go in and disable it.