According to data protection activists, the advertising ID integrated in iOS violates European data protection laws. The unique “Identifier for Advertising / Adverstisers” (IDFA) is created by the operating system “without the user’s knowledge or consent” and can then be used by apps for advertising tracking, explains the data protection organization noyb of the lawyer Max Schrems – this is comparable to Cookies in the browser. According to the ePrivacy Regulation (“Cookie Directive”), consent is required for such tracking methods.

Complaint to the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection Noyb has therefore now submitted a complaint to the Berlin Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information as well as to the Spanish data protection authority AEPD. The aim of the complaints is that the advertising IDs are “permanently deleted” from the users’ devices, as the data protection organization announced on Monday.

In addition, a fine is being imposed on Apple. The complaint was deliberately based on the older ePrivacy Directive instead of the GDPR, so that the German and Spanish authorities can “penalize Apple directly”, so noyb, “long-term cooperation as under the GDPR” is therefore not necessary is intended to avoid “endless processes”.

The advertising ID (IDFA) is an alphanumeric string that is unique for every iPhone and iPad can access the apps for advertising purposes. Users can switch off the advertising ID manually in the settings or optionally reset it, which must also be done manually. The IDFA has existed since iOS 6. Before Apple’s advertising ID was introduced, many apps used the device’s UDID, a unique and non-changeable device ID.

iOS apps must obtain tracking permission in the future Apple originally announced that apps from iOS 14 to access the IDFA, you must first obtain the user’s permission. After massive protests from the advertising industry, the introduction of the opt-in was postponed to 2021. In France, advertising associations recently filed an antitrust complaint against Apple: The company is using data protection as a “fig leaf” for anti-competitive practices, it said.

Apple’s planned change for iOS 14 is a “half-hearted improvement”, noyb now emphasized. Third-party providers would have to ask for permission to access the IDFA in the future, but not Apple itself. “However, the initial storage of the IDFA and its use by Apple will still take place without the consent of the users and thus against EU law violated “. They are currently also checking Google’s tracking system, which is similar to Apple’s IDFA, notes noyb.

Apple described the allegations of the data protection organization on Monday as “factually incorrect”. “Apple does not access the IDFA of user devices and does not use it in any way,” the company said in a statement to Mac & i. The practice is “in accordance with European law”. With iOS 14 users would have “even greater control” over whether they want to allow apps to be tracked by advertising, according to Apple . (lbe)