Post-Tribune

Apple plans to tighten app privacy next year

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LONDON — Apple is stepping up privacy for app users, forcing developers to be more transparen­t about data collection and warning they could be removed if they don’t comply with a new anti-tracking measure, a company executive and regulators said Tuesday.

The tech giant said it’s set to roll out the anti-tracking feature next year and warned it could kick apps off its App Store if they don’t obey its requiremen­ts.

Called App Tracking Transparen­cy, it will require apps to clearly ask for users’ permission before tracking them. It was to launch this year but was delayed to allow developers more time to make changes.

“Its aim is to empower our users to decide when or if they want to allow an app to track them in a way that could be shared across other companies’ apps or websites,” Senior Vice President of Software Engineerin­g Craig Federighi said.

“Developers who fail to meet the standard can have their apps taken down from the app store,” Federighi said in an online speech to the European Data Protection and Privacy Conference.

Privacy campaigner­s say the move is a vital step that could strengthen respect for privacy, but tech rivals like Facebook, which make money from digital advertisin­g that tracks users, have pushed back against the measure.

Federighi dismissed arguments from advertiser­s and tech companies who say the anti-tracking feature will hurt the online ad industry.

“When invasive tracking is your business model, you tend not to welcome transparen­cy and customer choice,” Federighi said.

In a separate policy update, apps in the App Store will soon start giving users more details about the personal data they use, Britain’s competitio­n watchdog said.

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