London: The privacy changes that Apple made in iOS 14 to prevent apps from tracking users’ data haven’t completely deterred developers from the illegal practice, and despite users asking them not to track apps, many apps Still tracking data. This information has been obtained from a study. A study of 1,759 iOS apps from the UK App Store before and after Apple implemented the key privacy feature last year found that Apple’s new policies live up to its promises to make tracking more difficult.
The team from the University of Oxford in the UK said, “At the same time, apps still widely use the tracking technology of large companies and send a range of user and device characteristics over the Internet for the purposes of cohort tracking and user fingerprinting. ” “Indeed, Apple itself engages in some form of user tracking and exempts invasive data practices such as first-party tracking and credit scoring from its new privacy rules,” claimed Konrad Kolnig of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Oxford.
The team said, “Privacy nutrition labels for apps were often inaccurate and are currently misleading to consumers. These observations are contrary to the company’s marketing claims and the resulting expectations of many iOS users.” Despite positive developments in recent months and years, especially through Apple’s initiatives, app privacy still has some way to go. The researchers regret that violations of various aspects of data protection and privacy laws are widespread in apps, while enforcement of existing data protection laws against such practices remains sporadic.
He emphasized, “Apple’s privacy efforts are hampered by the ambiguity surrounding its closed-source philosophy on iOS and the enforcement of its App Store review policies. These decisions by Apple remain a key driver behind limited transparency around iOS privacy.” The team also found that Apple’s privacy nutrition labels were often inaccurate and are currently misleading to consumers. “These observations are contrary to the company’s marketing claims and the resulting expectations of many iOS users,” he said.