Bloomberg: Three-Quarters of iOS Users Opt Out of Tracking ⇥ bloomberg.com

Kurt Wagner, Bloomberg:

When users get asked on iPhone devices if they’d like to be tracked, the vast majority say no. That’s worrying Facebook Inc.’s advertisers, who are losing access to some of their most valuable targeting data and have already seen a decrease in effectiveness of their ads. 

The new prompt from Apple Inc., which arrived in an iOS software update to iPhones in early June, explicitly asks users of each app whether they are willing to be tracked across their internet activity. Most are saying no, according to Branch, which analyzes mobile app growth. People are giving apps permission to track their behavior just 25% of the time, Branch found, severing a data pipeline that has powered the targeted advertising industry for years.

The opt-in numbers reported by Branch are similar to those last reported by Flurry for worldwide users.

The online advertising industry has been telling us for years that consumers overwhelmingly prefer personalized ads and are only too happy to give up private information. What a crock of lies. The ad tech industry has been relying on a lack of transparency and consent to drive its business. When given a choice, there is now large-scale evidence that people abhor tracking and will usually opt out.

Also, for what it is worth, iOS 14.5, the update that launched App Tracking Transparency, was released in April and not “early June” as reported here. Never change, Bloomberg.