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U.S. Senators Urge FTC to Investigate Apple for 'Transforming Online Advertising Into an Intense System of Surveillance'
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Anything to try and distract the public from noticing how the politicians' policies are destroying the economy.
(Note: policies from both parties)
(Note: policies from both parties)
They are looking at more than Apple. First sentence.
”In a letter sent to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Lina Khan today, four U.S. legislators said the FTC should "investigate Apple and Google's role in transforming online advertising into an intense system of surveillance," according to The Wall Street Journal.”
Online Headlines (including the one used here for the article on MacrRumors) and quotes from politicians are frequently Apple specific.
"U.S. Senators Urge FTC to Investigate Apple for 'Transforming Online Advertising Into an Intense System of Surveillance"
Considering Apple's stance on privacy and security, I would not associate Apple with...
Transforming Online Advertising Into an Intense System of Surveillance
Google and Android sure, an "intense system of surveillance" for Android users
They created the Advertising ID as an alternative to what was previously used... the device IMEI. The ad-id can be reset by the user. the IMEI can not. It was objectively a move towards more privacy not less.
Oh please, don’t be coy. Let’s start here: Before any entity can gather information about you and sell it to third parties - you must opt IN.
Sucks more info AND generates more AND manipulates more...
Also Apple doesn't have a ridiculous billionaire that's playing around in the political realm.
Coy?
Try discussing these with the group / individual In each of those categories.
This isn’t a matter of opt out rather just what is meant by “privacy”.
Privacy to the NSA means something very different than to Omnicom or to AdSense.
As for “opt out”, even though I agree, does not always do what you think.
One aspect of major concern is when it comes to privacy is Apple Health Kit.
Not in the sense of what Apple has itself but the way they let third party access this information.
This is what I consider some of the most critical information and HIPPA does not apply sadly. Once a third party app is granted access to health kit at all, it becomes an honor system that we hope the third party executes. HIPPA rules and penalties do not apply outside of the narrow doctor / medical record scope. Data brokers and third party tracking apps can legally sell the information they have access to. Apple’s “privacy” claims only go so far.
There are some good looking third party apps out there. Buyer beware.
Not in the sense of what Apple has itself but the way they let third party access this information.
This is what I consider some of the most critical information and HIPPA does not apply sadly. Once a third party app is granted access to health kit at all, it becomes an honor system that we hope the third party executes. HIPPA rules and penalties do not apply outside of the narrow doctor / medical record scope. Data brokers and third party tracking apps can legally sell the information they have access to. Apple’s “privacy” claims only go so far.
There are some good looking third party apps out there. Buyer beware.
Wait, what? They just found out about this now? How about decades of cookie tracking on pretty much any websites and all the social media companies? And why only mention Apple and Google? Maybe that's the only brand they "know" that they can extract money from?
At least Apple tried to do something about it. I give Apple the benefit of the doubt that they just realize recently that these kind of things are not good and thus implemented the privacy features in iOS. Google is another story, but for these "legislators" to mention this now is almost a joke. But I guess they want to get some votes or something
At least Apple tried to do something about it. I give Apple the benefit of the doubt that they just realize recently that these kind of things are not good and thus implemented the privacy features in iOS. Google is another story, but for these "legislators" to mention this now is almost a joke. But I guess they want to get some votes or something
It isn't that ads are targeted that I care much about, it is that in order to target them, they need to know so much about me.
Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers. It’s a unique identifier Apple implemented as part of IOS 10 intended to prevent “less secure” methods of user tracking.
Here’s some history of iDFA’s origins and subsequent abuse:
Apple Privacy Chief: "Regrets" Creating IDFA, Did Not Intend for Some Ad Tracking Uses to be Implemented - CPO Magazine
The IDFA was created as something of a compromise to make ad tracking possible while protecting user privacy, but designer Erik Neuenschwander eventually came to openly regret having ever created the system.
www.cpomagazine.com
Would you give a few examples of Apple not living up to their claims? Your post is a lot of heat but no light. I'm open the possibility that Apple is lying when it comes to their claims of user privacy, but I can't immediately think of any evidence to support that claim.
OK, but that was not my point and it is disingenuous of you to try to pretend you thought it was (or I am giving you too much credit). You can "opt out" of the advertising identifier and still use the OS - you do not need it "on" to use the phone. The only difference is opting in versus opting out, which is still tangential to the point that your data has been sold by numerous entities for decades.
I don’t think Apple is as trustworthy as I used to think they were even a few years ago, but they aren’t as bad as Microsoft/Google is. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being very secure and privacy oriented, I would put Apple as a #4, then Microsoft at 7 or 8, and Google at 10. Facebook destroys the scale by ranking up in the hundreds.
