iOS 14 was one of the revolutionary changes in the history of iOS which brought more emphasis on how the apps are using the user’s data and device. It not only provided more control to the users but also made them aware of the usage of hardware and software that the apps use to capture the customer’s data. Now, this feature was not taken in a good way by advertising companies and Facebook as well as it would severely hamper their advertising business. Now, Apple is going to bring in yet another feature in the market with iOS 14.3, which might make things a little more difficult for advertising companies.
The new iOS 14.3 update has introduced a new App Store labeling feature that gives the users the way to see what data an app collects about them before they choose to install it. Apple did inform their developers last month that they need to include the privacy details by December 8 or they will not be allowed to update their apps. These privacy labels are required for apps on all of Apple’s platforms including iOS, iPad OS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. Also, these labels need to be updated and accurate every time there is a new update from the developer for the app.
A question was raised by Facebook-owned WhatsApp that the same rules did not apply to iMessage which is not on the App Store. The privacy labels in iOS 14.3 are broken down into three categories: “data used to track you,” “data linked to you,” and “data not linked to you.” Now, “data used to track you” is the data used by advertisers to target relevant ads, “data linked to you” is the data used to identify the users, and “data used to track you” is used for location data and browsing history of the user. Malaysian App Store already has many such apps that have implemented the new policies.