Apple is going to introduce new privacy changes on iOS and Snapchat is searching for ways to bypass it. An internal document obtained by The Financial Times reveals that the social media company was seeking data from third-party companies to analyze users’ responses to ad campaigns.
Apple is changing mobile tracking by replacing the IDFA system with the ATT feature. The upcoming App Tracking Transparency (ATT) update will make it mandatory for developers to seek users’ permission to track their online activity across third-party apps and websites to prevent invasive tracking to poach users’ personal data. And the new privacy rule has created a ruckus in the industry.
The digital advertising system runs on developers to track users to gain information to show personalized ads that generate huge revenue. Therefore, the inability to access users’ data will affect their earnings and that is why developers are looking for ways to bypass the new rules like Snapchat.
Like Chinese developers, Snapchat is also looking for working around Apple’s new privacy rules
On Snap Inc. plan to look for a workaround, the report states:
The plan focused on cross-referencing that data, which includes IP addresses, against its own information on users to identify and track them. It’s a technique known as “probabilistic matching.”
Snap confirmed to the Financial Times that it has been running a probabilistic matching campaign for several months to “test the impact” of Apple’s new privacy policies. However, Snap maintains that it intended to switch off the program when ATT launches.
Going forward, Snap said it knows it can’t track users without their permission, but suggested that it could harvest data on “cohorts” without breaking the rules.
Having said this, maybe the company is looking to bypass Apple’s ATT feature in vain. Recently, the iPhone maker warned Chinese developers about testing a workaround for the new privacy update.
Previously, the social media company’s chief business officer, Jeremi Gorman of Snap Inc. expressed that they were ready for the new changes but we were concerned about the outcomes. He said:
“The reality is we admire Apple, and we believe that they are trying to do the right thing for their customers. Their focus on protecting privacy is aligned with our values and the way we’ve built our business from the very beginning.
Overall, we feel really well prepared for these changes, but changes to this ecosystem are usually disruptive and the outcome is uncertain.”
And the company’s chief financial officer, Derek Andersen said that Apple’s new update is “a risk of interruption to demand” in the company’s Q4 earnings report.
“It is not clear yet what the longer term impact of those changes may be for the topline momentum of our business, and this may not be clear until several months or more after the changes are implemented.”
via AppleInsider
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