App Tracking Transparency (ATT) was introduced by Apple in 2021 to restrict apps from tracking users' activity without permission. Most users deny tracking permissions, significantly reducing advertising revenues for companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube that rely on user data for targeted ads. These companies have collectively lost an estimated $9.85 billion since ATT was implemented. While tracking is effective for targeted ads, ATT is necessary to protect user privacy and ensure digital practices respect basic rights.

1. Apple’s Privacy Policy
& the Impact on Digital Advertising
JUSTIN HOO-HING
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2. What is App Tracking Transparency?
➔ App Tracking Transparency (ATT) for iOS was
introduced to Apple devices in April 2021 (Masters,
2021).
➔ The ATT feature restricts applications from being
able to track users’ activity without direct
permission from the user (Ariano, 2021).
➔ Every program available on the App store is now
obligated to ask for user’s consent to track their
activity (Ariano, 2021).
➔ App Tracking Transparency was implemented to
protect consumer privacy.

3. How has ATT affected digital advertising?
Many companies use tracking to observe,
record, and analyze the behaviour of users
across different applications. This helps these
apps to improve advertising efficiency and
accuracy based on detailed consumer data
(Ariano, 2021).
With ATT, people now have the option to allow
or deny tracking permissions - in which most do
the latter. This has led to various companies
experiencing a significant drop in advertising
revenues (Masters, 2021).

4. How has ATT affected digital advertising?
Some of the most notable companies which have
been negatively impacted by App Tracking
Transparency include Facebook, Snapchat,
Twitter, and YouTube among many others
(Murtaza, 2021).
Together, these companies have experienced an
estimated loss of $9.85 billion in expected
advertising revenue since ATT was implemented
(Murtaza, 2021).

5. The Verdict: ATT - Good or Bad?
Activity tracking is a very controversial digital
business practice. While extremely effective, some
find the idea very intrusive and may consider it a
privacy violation.
I believe ATT is a necessary component of the
ever-growing online world. People should absolutely
have the right to privacy - to choose if and how their
information is being recorded and used. ATT helps to
ensure that digital business practice remains fair,
moral, and in-line with basic human rights.

6. Thank you for reading my
presentation!

7. Sources
Ariano, R. (2021, July 29). How to use app tracking transparency to stop apps from collecting your
data and location on Apple devices. Business Insider. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from
https://www.businessinsider.com/app-tracking-transparency.
Masters, B. (2021, November 1). Apple has too much power over its rivals. Financial Times.
Retrieved November 5, 2021, from
https://www.ft.com/content/94d9f964-10d8-4ff3-9781-821f3fc9ee3a.
Murtaza, F. (2021, November 1). Apple's controversial privacy policy changes have cost almost
US$10 billion to social media companies. NotebookCheck. Retrieved November 5, 2021, from
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-s-controversial-privacy-policy-changes-have-cost-almost-U
S-10-billion-to-social-media-companies.576638.0.html#.