Is your iPhone really safe?

I am a huge fan of all Apple products, especially the iPhone. But as I was reading an article online the other day, I came across something which was really disturbing. I know that most of you would have bought the iPhone 5 or updated to the iOS 6 Operating System. While Apple kept talking about some many 'cool' features that came with this version of the OS, what it did not publicize is, it has started tracking users so that advertisers can target them again, through a new tracking technology known as    the IFA or IDFA( IDENTITY for ADVERTISERS - a random, anonymous number that is assigned to a user and their device. It is temporary and can be blocked, like a cookiePrior to iOS6, Apple had all but disabled tracking of iPhone usersby advertisers when it stopped app developers from utilizing Apple mobile device data via UDID, the unique, permanent, non-deletable serial number that previously identified every Apple device that existed. In iOS 6, however, tracking is most definitely back on, and it's more effective than ever according to the tech wiz gurus who figured this out. For those of you using either the iPhone 5 or the older versions with updated Operating Systems, this is fortunately, a way to prevent being tracked by advertisers. It is a little tricky though.

How exactly does this tracking work?

When you look at an app, or browse the web, your presence generates a call for an ad. The publisher's site that you're looking at then passes the IFA to the ad server. The advertiser is then able to know that a specific iPhone user is looking at a specific publication and can serve an ad targeting that user. IFA becomes particularly useful, for instance, if an ad server notices that a particular IFA is looking at a lot of different car sites. Perhaps that user is interested in buying a new car. They'll likely start seeing a lot of car ads on their iPhone.

More importantly, IFA will allow advertisers to track the user all the way to "conversion" — which for most advertisers consists of an app download. Previously, advertisers had no idea whether their ads actually drove people to download apps or buy things. Now IFA will tell them. The lighter side of this is that the IFA does not identify you personally — it merely provides a bunch of aggregate audience data that advertisers can target with ads.

Now, how do I stop being tracked?

The new iPhone operating system comes with three things that make tracking easier for advertisers and reduce the likelihood that you'll opt out.

•  iOS 6 comes in a default "tracking on" position. You have to affirmatively switch it off if you do not want advertisers to see what you're up to
• The tracking control in iPhone's settings is NOT contained where you might expect it, under the "Privacy" menu. Instead, it's found under "General," then "About," and then the "Advertising" section of the Settings menu. 

• The tracking control is titled "Limit Ad Tracking," and must be turned to ON, not OFF, in order to work. That's slightly confusing — "ON" means ads are off! — so a large number of people will likely get this wrong.

With that, the work should be done :-) Happy surfing! :-) :-)

 

Cheers,

Karthik Venkatachalapathi