Google Explains How Apps Using Its Ad Products Will Adapt to iOS 14’s Tracking Consent ⇥ blog.google

Christophe Combette of Google:

Apple’s upcoming App Tracking Transparency (ATT) policy will require developers to ask for permission when they use certain information from other companies’ apps and websites for advertising purposes, even if they already have user consent. […]

But is it really consent if it is buried in a ten thousand word boilerplate privacy policy? At any rate, Google says it is updating its in-app advertising products to use Apple’s frameworks.

As for its own apps, Google says that it is working on privacy labelling:

When Apple’s policy goes into effect, we will no longer use information (such as IDFA) that falls under ATT for the handful of our iOS apps that currently use it for advertising purposes. As such, we will not show the ATT prompt on those apps, in line with Apple’s guidance. We are working hard to understand and comply with Apple’s guidelines for all of our apps in the App Store. As our iOS apps are updated with new features or bug fixes, you’ll see updates to our app page listings that include the new App Privacy Details.

Whenever that might be. Again, I do not see this as nefarious. Google has had plenty of time to prepare for this, but there was also loads of time to prepare for E.U. privacy regulations and Canadian anti-spam laws when those were enacted, and some companies were still in a rush to comply. It is embarrassing more than it is concerning.