App Tracking Transparency Changes in Germany
Apple has agreed to make changes to its App Tracking Transparency feature in Germany, according to the country’s competition regulator.
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In Germany, Apple has agreed to remove “possibly discouraging symbols and wording” from the App Tracking Transparency prompt, the regulator said. Apps will also be “given more scope to explain to users what significance personalized advertising has for their offering and their business model,” and the “freedom to combine the consent request required by Apple with the consent requests required under data protection law.”
The FCO’s objection appears to be that Apple’s existing prompt is making app tracking sound scarier than it really is. The iPhone maker will make eight changes in order to address this – including removal of the word “track.”
The regulator helpfully offers an illustration of the differences between these prompts on the fourth page of its FAQs (PDF) about the case. There are many things they say could be deterrents in the App Tracking Transparency dialog, and I do not think Apple would deny that they are suggesting that users opt out of tracking. The definition of “tracking” Apple uses is self-serving, which would not matter so much if it did not also have a parallel desire to grow its advertising business.
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A particularly damning finding in that comparison, to my eyes, is the way Apple puts “Ask App Not to Track” as the topmost button in the App Tracking Transparency dialog, but puts the option to “Turn Off Personalised Ads” at the bottom of it its own advertising prompt.
Previously:
- UK App Tracking Transparency Lawsuit
- Italy Fines Apple Over App Tracking Transparency
- Europe vs. App Tracking Transparency
- France Fines Apple Over App Tracking Transparency
1 Comment RSS · Twitter · Mastodon
I just want Apple to play by the same (not one-sided) rules. Just how one can disable ATT system-wide, I want the same control for Apple’s “don’t call it tracking”.
