The Financial Times recently reported that the U.S. company Apple is about to introduce new privacy rules, but Chinese tech giants including ShakeYin parent company ByteBeat and Tencent Holdings are studying new technology to bypass Apple’s new rules and continue to track iPhone users’ data for advertising purposes without their consent. Apple has warned that any offending mobile apps will be taken down.
Apple’s iOS system, which will be updated in the coming weeks, will require apps to obtain consent before requesting user data, the report said. However, the China Association of Advertising (CAA), which is backed by the Chinese government and has nearly 2,000 members, has launched a new system called the “Internet Advertising Identifier” (CAID) to track and identify iPhone users.
The report obtained a copy of a guideline provided by ByteDance to App developers, which suggests to advertisers that “if IDFA doesn’t work, use CAID instead. Sources said that Tencent and ByteDance have been testing CAID in their apps, but the two companies declined to respond.
Apple later issued a statement saying that the App Store’s terms and guidelines apply to developers worldwide, including Apple, emphasizing that developers should seek permission before tracking users, and that apps found to ignore user choices will not be accepted by Apple. Sources said Apple has the ability to track what apps use CAID and will even block offending software if it can. But a technology consulting firm said it would be difficult for Apple to ban all apps from the Chinese market, or it could be kicked out of the country.
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