Apple for years has made user privacy a focus for its App Store with rules around data collection, plus requirements around app labeling, anti-tracking measures, and the more private “Sign in with Apple” option. Now, Apple will begin to require that developers explain why they need access to select data, under some circumstances, with a new policy designed to crack down on the misuse of APIs.
APIs, or Application Programming Interfaces, are used by developers to extract and exchange data. In the context of the new App Store rule, Apple explains that some APIs can be missed by developers to collect data about users’ devices through “fingerprinting.” That means the APIs are being used to access certain device signals for the purpose of identifying the device or the user. Apple doesn’t allow fingerprinting, even if the user has given the app permission to track them.
As The New York Times reported in 2019, the use of this largely invisible method of user and device tracking was on the rise in the ad industry in response t …
