Apple has always prioritized data security and user privacy features in all of its devices. However, the privacy and security features of user data can still be hacked by a number of application developers.
The latest research from Ars Technica proves this with a case of breaking into the App Tracking Transparency feature on iOS. The research reveals how developers were able to bypass iOS privacy features to identify and track users even when they didn’t want to.
The researchers analyzed 9 iOS apps that used server-side code to generate user identifiers even when app tracking was disabled. The code is allegedly provided by an Alibaba subsidiary that can track user identifiers across apps.
As a result, advertising companies can still target content to specific users. In total, the research compared 1,759 apps before and after the App Tracking Transparency feature for iOS users.
Even though a quarter of apps claim that they don’t collect any user data, 80% of them still prove to have a tracking library.
Researchers admit that developers can hack through various methods, including using IP addresses to link installation-specific IDs across applications.
Then, they can track the user’s personal data through the sign-in function through third-party applications such as Google, Facebook, or email addresses. Until now, Apple has not provided any information about the loophole in their privacy features.
