Don’t know what app tracking on smartphones is? You are not the only one
2 min read . Updated: 10 May 2023, 04:47 PM IST
PremiumThe misunderstanding, as per the research, is attributed to the lack of clarity in the wording chosen by companies in the tracking prompts, which are easy to misinterpret.
A recent research has found that 43 per cent of mobile phone users are either confused or unclear about the meaning of "app tracking". The research says that most of the smartphone users thought app tracking was intrinsic to the app function, or it was meant to provide a better user experience.
The research was conducted by the University of Bath's School of Management, UK. It sheds light on how widely privacy and security features in a smartphone, originally aimed at giving consumers more control over sharing of their data, are misunderstood.
"People commonly believed they needed to allow tracking for the app to function correctly," said Hannah Hutton, postgraduate researcher from the university's School of Management.
They attributed this misunderstanding to the lack of clarity in the wording chosen by companies in the tracking prompts, which are easy to misinterpret, the research says.
For the unversed, app tracking is used by companies to deliver targeted advertising to smartphone users. Apple introduced its App Tracking Transparency framework in April 2021. iPhone users, upon opening an app for the first time, are asked if they want to allow the app company to track their activity across other apps. They can either choose 'Ask App Not to Track' or ‘Allow’
Android users, on the other hand, must access tracking consent via their phone settings. If people opt out of tracking, their use of apps and websites on their device will no longer be traced by the company, and the data can not be used for targeted advertising, or shared with data brokers.
The study was published in the journal of The ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. It showed that the most common misapprehension (24 per cent) was that tracking referred to sharing the physical location of device - rather than tracing the use of apps and websites.
As per the research, over half of participants (51 per cent) said they were concerned about privacy or security – including security of their data after it had been collected. It found no association between their concern for privacy in their daily life and a lower rate of tracking acceptance.
"While people are now familiar with the benefits of having PIN numbers and facial recognition to protect our devices, more work needs to be done so people can make transparent decisions about what other data is used for in the digital age," said David Ellis, a professor of Behavioural Science and co-author.
(With inputs from PTI)