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Apple could block apps that don't comply with new privacy feature
Apple threatened on Tuesday to remove apps from its widely-used App Store if they don't comply with an upcoming private feature allowing users to block advertisers from tracking them across different applications.
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STOCKHOLM/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Apple threatened on Tuesday to remove apps from its widely-used App Store if they don’t comply with an upcoming private feature allowing users to block advertisers from tracking them across different applications.
The new feature, dubbed App Tracking Transparency, was initially planned to debut this year, but was delayed to give developers more time to make changes to their apps and address privacy issues.
Some tech companies and advertisers, such as Facebook, have criticised the planned change, saying it could hurt smaller developers such as gaming companies disproportionately.
But Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering at Apple, said users should know when they are being tracked across different apps and websites.
“Early next year, we’ll begin requiring all apps that want to do that to obtain their users’ explicit permission, and developers who fail to meet that standard can have their apps taken down from the App Store,” he said at the European Data Protection and Privacy Conference.
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