Now Apps Can Track You Even After You Uninstall Them

Now Apps Can Track(trak) You Even After You Uninstall(ˌəninˈstôl) Them

New trackers make it easy for developers to identify(īˈdentəˌfī) fed-up users and pester(ˈpestər) them with targeted ads(ad).

By Gerrit(ja) De(də) Vynck(vyik)

If it seems as though the app you deleted(dəˈlēt) last week is suddenly(ˈsədn-lē) popping up everywhere, it may not be mere(mi(ə)r) coincidence(-ˌdens,kōˈinsədəns). Companies that cater(ˈkātər) to app makers have found ways to game both iOS and Android, enabling them to figure out which users have uninstalled a given piece(pēs) of software lately—and making it easy to pelt(pelt) the departed(dəˈpärdəd) with ads aimed at winning them back.

Adjust, AppsFlyer, MoEngage, Localytics(ˈlitik), and CleverTap are among the companies that offer uninstall trackers, usually as part of a broader set of developer(dəˈveləpər) tools. Their customers include T-Mobile US, Spotify Technology, and Yelp(yelp). (And Bloomberg Businessweek parent Bloomberg LP, which uses Localytics.) Critics(ˈkridik) say they’re a fresh reason to reassess(ˌrēəˈses) online privacy(ˈprīvəsē) rights and limit what companies can do with user data. “Most tech companies are not giving people nuanced(ˈn(y)o͞oˌäns) privacy choices, if they give them choices at all,” says Jeremy(jarəmi) Gillula, tech policy(ˈpäləsē) director at the Electronic(əˌlekˈtränik) Frontier(ˌfrənˈti(ə)r) Foundation, a privacy(ˈprīvəsē) advocate(ˈadvəkət).

Some providers say these tracking tools are meant(ment) to measure user reaction to app updates and other changes. Jude(jo͞odə) McColgan, chief(CHēf) executive(iɡˈzekyədiv) officer of Boston’s Localytics, says he hasn’t seen clients use the technology to target former users with ads. Ehren Maedge(māj), vice(vīs) president(ˈprezəˌdent) for marketing and sales at MoEngage Inc.(inˈkôrpəˌrātid) in San Francisco, says it’s up to the app makers not to do so. “The dialogue(ˈdīəˌläg) is between our customers and their end users,” he says. “If they violate(ˈvīəˌlāt) users’ trust, it’s not going to go well for them.” Adjust, AppsFlyer, and CleverTap didn’t respond to requests for comment(ˈkämˌent), nor did T-Mobile, Spotify, or Yelp.

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-22/now-apps-can-track-you-even-after-you-uninstall-them