It’s going to get harder for companies to track Android users as Google will soon introduce a feature that will allow mobile software users to opt out of being tracked by advertisers on their smartphone applications. Starting later this year, Google is cutting off access to these “Advertising IDs” after a user opts out, and will show developers a “string of zeros” in its place, The Verge reported.
Currently, users who have opted out of tracking and personalized advertising are still tagged by the Advertising ID when they open an app. The serach engine giant’s decison follows an earlier move by rival Apple Inc. to bolster privacy on iPhones.
Making the announcement on its support page , Google said that in July it will release an alternative to the Android Advertising ID to support analytics and fraud detection without passing the ID for users who opt out of personalization.
“Starting in late 2021, when a user opts out of interest-based advertising or ads personalization, the advertising identifier will not be available. You will receive a string of zeros in place of the identifier,” it said. Google also announced that it’s adding privacy info to its Play Store listings, mirroring a similar feature Apple added to its App Store last year,
The advertising ID is a unique, user-resettable ID for advertising, provided by Google Play services. It gives users better controls and provides developers with a simple, standard system to continue to monetise their apps.
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Google has notified mobile developers about the switch that will “provide users with more control over their data, and help bolster security and privacy.” For months, Google has been mulling a way to give Android users more control over ad tracking with a less stringent approach than Apple’s, Bloomberg reported.
