How To Deactivate Tracking On Iphone

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Nov 16, 2020, 10:18am EST |

Apple iPhone Tracking—Here's How To Turn It Off

Kate O'Flaherty

Apple's so-called IDFA (identifier for advertisers) is under fire once again after a European privacy advocate accused the iPhone maker of unlawfully installing the ad tracking function on its devices. Here's how you can disable ad tracking.

Apple's so-called IDFA (identifier for advertisers) is under fire once again after a European ... [+] privacy advocate accused the iPhone maker of unlawfully installing the ad tracking function on its devices.

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When Apple launched iOS 14 this fall, it was already planning to give consumers more choice over whether to enable the IDFA—which allows advertisers to track your behavior and consumption preferences. But the iPhone maker delayed the new privacy feature after a major pushback from advertisers including Facebook.

Now, according to Bloomberg, there's been pushback in the other direction, against the IDFA, by Noyb, a group founded by privacy activist Max Schrems. The group is complaining that because the trackers are placed on iPhones by default, consumers are unable to consent to them.

Rather than being based on the 2018 EU Update to Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the complaints by Noyb are based around an old EU law regulating firms' use of cookies and other tracking devices, Bloomberg said. The action refers to only German and Spanish users who complained about Apple's use of invasive trackers.

But Apple has hit back against the claims, calling them "factually inaccurate."

In a statement, the iPhone maker said: "We look forward to making that clear to privacy regulators should they examine the complaint. Apple does not access or use the IDFA on a user's device for any purpose.

"Our aim is always to protect the privacy of our users and our latest software release, iOS 14, is giving users even greater control over whether or not they want to allow apps to track them by linking their information with data from third parties for the purpose of advertising, or sharing their information with data brokers.

"Our practices comply with European law and support and advance the aims of the GDPR and the ePrivacy Directive, which is to give people full control over their data."

How to stop iPhone tracking

I recently wrote a useful guide on how to use Apple's new privacy features in iOS 14. Within that, I included some steps detailing how you can prevent advertisers from tracking you ahead of the planned opt-in feature—which will hopefully become available in an updated version of iOS 14 in 2021.

So for now, in your Settings, go to Privacy > Tracking. Here you can turn off the ability to allow apps to request to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies.

In your Settings, go to Privacy, then Tracking. Here you can turn off the ability to allow apps to ... [+] request to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies.

Apple iPhone

If you ask to "learn more" the text is a little confusing so I'll explain it here. If you turn off the ability for apps to ask to track you, you also stop them from tracking you across apps by default.

As Apple explains, if you disable Allow Apps to ask to Track, "any app that attempts to ask for your permission will be blocked from asking and automatically informed that you have requested not to be tracked."

In your privacy settings you can go to Analytics and Improvements and toggle off data sharing here.

IOS 14 added a bunch of cool new privacy and security features such as an Orange dot to show when your camera and mic are in use, and developers now have to offer a privacy "nutrition label" to show how your data is used.

I'm hopeful Apple will add the anti-tracking feature to iOS 14 soon. For now, why not go through and adjust your iPhone settings yourself.

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Kate O'Flaherty