According to a new study, popular apps are not as trustworthy as they seem. Apps such as Facebook, TikTok, and X are using notifications to collect data from iPhone users.
Apple consistently emphasizes that privacy is a fundamental human right and states that it strives to protect user data from third-party apps and developers. However, because the company does not view this form of data collection as harmful when used for the purpose of delivering personalized content, it cannot guarantee that its operating system can block the tracking activities of third-party apps.
Mysk researchers conducted a study revealing how Facebook, X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Bing, and many other apps use a "fingerprinting" technique to collect iPhone data via notifications. This study demonstrates how apps use a specific mechanism in iOS that allows them to customize notifications in the background to gather data. This feature was introduced to apps starting with iOS 10 and provides a limited window of time for notification customization.
Mysk notes that Apple does not permit the fingerprinting of users and that developers are required to explain their app's need for access to APIs that provide such signals. However, for now, the only way to prevent these types of data collection methods appears to be turning off notifications from specific apps.
News Source: 12punto
