Apple Will Force Apps to Ask for Permission Before Tracking Users

"Apple Inc. will force iPhone apps to get permission from users before tracking them," reports Bloomberg, "dealing a potentially major blow to app developers who rely on advertisements to make money."

Apple facilitates tracking on its phones by providing app developers with unique numbers for each user, something security advocates have long said contradicts the company's frequent statements in support of privacy. The update to the iPhone's operating system doesn't do away with the tracking system, but makes it much more apparent to users and gives them more opportunities to turn it off. Previously, controls were buried in the phone's settings menu.

"Considering the iPhone's user base, this is a very big change. It certainly improves user privacy," said Lukasz Olejnik, an independent privacy researcher and consultant. "Users at large encountering such pop-ups in just about any application may potentially start asking questions about the use of their data. It will force the industry to reconsider some of the core assumptions."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.