iOS 12.2 can block Web access to your iPhone's motion sensors

Posted:
in iOS edited February 2019
Ad agencies are reportedly worried about a change to iOS 12.2 that will allow Safari users to block webpages wanting access to motion sensor data.

Apple Safari icon


Webpages will have to ask users to turn the access on, according to a Digiday report citing two Apple staff members. The change appears to be in response to a Wired report last year which noted that thousands of sites were able to track motion data without permission.

iOS 12.2 is still in beta, and will also include features like HomeKit TV control and Apple News Magazines support.

The ad industry's worry is that people will not only be less likely to try augmented- or virtual-reality ads, but that businesses may spend less on them in the first place given how relatively new AR and VR glasses are.

Motion data typically isn't of much use to advertisers. Conceivably, though, it could be used to monitor user behavior or physical attributes.

Apple itself has been intensifying its focus on AR in the past two years, releasing ARKit for developers and designing iPhone cameras to better handle the technology. It's meanwhile believed to be developing its own AR glasses running a custom operating system. The product could potentially ship next year, though Apple is known to push off launches if it feels technology isn't ready.



Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    Nothing wrong with some external entity having to ask me for access to my device. If the AR experience is compelling enough I’ll give it to them. 
    beowulfschmidtleavingthebiggrazorpit
  • Reply 2 of 15
    magman1979magman1979 Posts: 1,301member
    Boo hoo cry me a fucking river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These bastards deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    leavingthebiggracerhomie3razorpitelijahgwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 15
    realisticrealistic Posts: 1,154member
    Nice Mouth
    Boo hoo cry me a XXXXXXX river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These XXXXXXX deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    edited February 2019 ctt_zh
  • Reply 4 of 15
    I wonder when Apple will get to my request of giving us the ability to stop obnoxious auto play of videos in Safari... 

    The request is quite common but Apple ignores them, I suspect because Google bought them off.

    The option is there for MacOS + Safari, and Microsoft Edge + iOS, but not for iOS + Safari.

    ——
    I turn off Location Services all together, and only enable it occasionally (maps, for Apple Pay credit card verification).

    I just assumed it was being abused by someone...
  • Reply 5 of 15
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 13,101member
    realistic said:
    Nice Mouth
    Boo hoo cry me a XXXXXXX river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These XXXXXXX deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    Adults often used adult language for emphasis. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,641member
    realistic said:
    Nice Mouth
    Boo hoo cry me a XXXXXXX river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These XXXXXXX deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    Adults often used adult language for emphasis. 
    ...and it should be rarely necessary for most adults with developed language skills IMO. Teenagers and 20-somethings I get, they don't have a very well-developed vocabulary yet and putting their thoughts into words might be more difficult. Smart guys here on AI don't have that excuse. 
    MplsPctt_zh
  • Reply 7 of 15
    mobirdmobird Posts: 759member
    I went ahead and enabled it to see if the sky would come crashing down...
    So far everything is good.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    mobird said:
    I went ahead and enabled it to see if the sky would come crashing down...
    So far everything is good.
    As long as users have the option to disable things they don’t like, I’m OK with it.

    But, I’ll point out that users often have no idea on how their data is being used.  The Facebook experience has shown that companies have no scruples.  If they can sell your life or livelihood they’ll do it...
    svanstromwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    gatorguy said:
    realistic said:
    Nice Mouth
    Boo hoo cry me a XXXXXXX river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These XXXXXXX deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    Adults often used adult language for emphasis. 
    ...and it should be rarely necessary for most adults with developed language skills IMO. Teenagers and 20-somethings I get, they don't have a very well-developed vocabulary yet and putting their thoughts into words might be more difficult. Smart guys here on AI don't have that excuse. 
    "Smart guys here on AI" ...LOL... that was a good one. Try not to trip over your self righteousness. You're on a tech blog comments section. If the vocabulary offends you, you should either adapt or leave instead of complaining how other people talk. If you were on Shakespeare.com, maybe you would have a case.
    svanstromwatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    ivanhivanh Posts: 597member
    Good news! But why it was not there in iOS 11 or even iOS 10?
  • Reply 11 of 15
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,641member
    gatorguy said:
    realistic said:
    Nice Mouth
    Boo hoo cry me a XXXXXXX river, ad agencies complaining Apple is making it more difficult for them to perform their wholesale harvest of user data without our consent.

    Apple, keep it up! These XXXXXXX deserve NOTHING for their criminal acts!
    Adults often used adult language for emphasis. 
    ...and it should be rarely necessary for most adults with developed language skills IMO. Teenagers and 20-somethings I get, they don't have a very well-developed vocabulary yet and putting their thoughts into words might be more difficult. Smart guys here on AI don't have that excuse. 
    "Smart guys here on AI" ...LOL... that was a good one. Try not to trip over your self righteousness. You're on a tech blog comments section. If the vocabulary offends you, you should either adapt or leave instead of complaining how other people talk. If you were on Shakespeare.com, maybe you would have a case.
    I'm on a tech blog comments section that has posting rules. You should read them and if you don't like 'em adapt or move on yourself.
    https://forums.appleinsider.com/discussion/184333/appleinsiders-updated-commenting-guidelines/p1
    Rule 6

    You think only overly-testosteroned who-cares-what-anyone-thinks men visit AI? There's grandmothers, teenagers, wives and believe it or not even men who would rather not have profanities substituting for courteousness. Have at it at work and public places you visit, maybe it looks good on you. But doing it here is not the right place. 


    edited February 2019 ctt_zh
  • Reply 12 of 15
    ivanh said:
    Good news! But why it was not there in iOS 11 or even iOS 10?

    Amateur! I'm complaining about why it wasn't on iPhone OS 1.0.
    svanstromwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 15
    To me it’s simple…

    If there’s a sensor on a device that I own, then I want it to be me, not some advertising group, that controls who’s got access to it.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,641member
    svanstrom said:
    To me it’s simple…

    If there’s a sensor on a device that I own, then I want it to be me, not some advertising group, that controls who’s got access to it.
    I think you'll find it might interfere with even Apple's own sites like this one:
    http://experience.apple/iphone/
  • Reply 15 of 15
    gatorguy said:
    svanstrom said:
    To me it’s simple…

    If there’s a sensor on a device that I own, then I want it to be me, not some advertising group, that controls who’s got access to it.
    I think you'll find it might interfere with even Apple's own sites like this one:
    http://experience.apple/iphone/
    That doesn’t change who should be in control.

    It’s the same as with cookies…
    watto_cobra
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