Apple's innovation regarding advertising trackers has motivated Google to make a fundamental change. Google apps will no longer use advertising trackers in the future.
As expected, Google has now confirmed that the company is updating all of its apps to prepare for the changes in ad tracking that will be introduced by iOS 14. With the upcoming introduction of Apple's App Tracking Transparency (ATT), Google is switching from the IDFA system, which required users to give their consent to ad tracking. explained Google:
Google Apps: Google wants to understand Apple's guidelines
When Apple's policy goes into effect, we will no longer use information (like IDFA) covered by ATT for the handful of our iOS apps that currently use it for advertising purposes. As a result, we will no longer display the ATT prompt in those apps, consistent with Apple's guidance. We work hard to understand and comply with Apple's policies for all of our apps on the App Store.
IDFA, the identifier for advertisers, was a random device identifier assigned by Apple to a user's device. This allowed advertisers to track a user's data without the system revealing a person's identity. Facebook protested the removal of IDFA and took out newspaper ads claiming it would harm small businesses. The social media giant's protests were described as "ludicrous" by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. According to the announcement, Google plans to adopt Apple's SKAdNetwork framework. However, the search engine giant wants to improve the framework. The announcement states:
Apple had to postpone the launch for technical reasons
We're working with the industry to provide feedback to Apple on how to further improve SKAdNetwork so advertisers can accurately measure their campaign results on iOS 14. At Google, we've always put users and their privacy first. Transparency, choice, and control are the foundation of our commitment to users, and advertising is no different. We remain committed to maintaining a vibrant and open app ecosystem where people can access a wide range of ad-supported content with confidence that their privacy and choices are respected.
Apple originally wanted to adapt the ATT policy together with the introduction of iOS 14. However, for technical reasons, the whole thing was postponed until early 2021. (Photo by Denys Prykhodov / Bigstockphoto)
