Apple updated its privacy policy to let users opt out of its iAd platform, which launches July 1 to help iPhone and iPad developers make money from the 225,000 applications they've lodged in Apple's App Store. While users can hide from the interest-based ads, they can't avoid the location-based tracking Apple is using for its iPhone, iPads and computers.
Apple's updated privacy policy will not let users download any applications from the iTunes store without agreeing to the new terms and conditions.
Apple has updated its iTunes privacy policy to let users opt out of its iAd platform, which launches July 1 to help iPhone
and iPad developers make money from the 225,000 applications they've lodged in
Apple's App Store.
Timed for the launch of the
vaunted iPhone 4, iAd
lets developers insert advertisements within
their applications.
Developers keep 60 percent of the proceeds from ads shown;
Apple gets the remaining 40 percent of sales. iAd is Apple's plan to
challenge Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and
other Internet companies in the market for mobile ads delivered on smartphones
and tablet computers.
The updated
privacy section, which eWEEK learned
of through
AllThingsDigital via
iLounge, states:
"Apple and its partners use cookies and other
technologies in mobile advertising services to control the number of times you
see a given ad, deliver ads that relate to your interests, and measure the
effectiveness of ad campaigns. If you do not want to receive ads with this
level of relevance on your mobile device, you can opt out by accessing the
following link on your device: http://oo.apple.com.
"If you opt out, you will continue to receive the
same number of mobile ads, but they may be less relevant because they will not
be based on your interests. You may still see ads related to the content on a Web
page or in an application or based on other non-personal information. This
opt-out applies only to Apple advertising services and does not affect
interest-based advertising from other advertising networks."
ATD notes that Apple's privacy approach for iAd is akin
to policies from
Google and Yahoo, which also let users
opt out of seeing targeted advertising, but not ads entirely.
Interestingly, while users can run from the
interest-based ads, they can't avoid the location-based tracking Apple is using
for its iPhone, iPads and computers.
As the Los Angeles Times blog
noted, Apple's updated privacy policy will
not let users download any applications from the iTunes store without agreeing
to the new terms and conditions. These include:
"To provide location-based services on Apple
products, Apple and our partners and licensees may collect, use, and share
precise location data, including the real-time geographic location of your
Apple computer or device... For example, we may share geographic location with
application providers when you opt in to their location services."
Of some consolation to privacy-wary users is that Apple
claims the the location data it collects is done so anonymously in a form that
does not personally identify users. However, Apple added that its MobileMe "Find
My iPhone" feature requires users' personal information for the feature to
work.
Location-based services are becoming increasingly popular
on
Twitter and services such as
Google Latitude and Google Buzz. And don't forget the ultimate check-in
services of Foursquare and Gowalla.
The smart bet says Apple device users will be OK with
the location-based services Apple offers, so long as these services improve the
user experience for applications on the iPhone and iPad.
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