DO NOT TRUST CHINA. CHINA IS ASSHOLE: Procter & Gamble Wanted to Skirt App Tracking Transparency Rules With China Data Collection Tech.

The state-backed China Advertising Agency developed a new method of tracking users called CAID to replace access to the IDFA or advertising identifier of an iPhone or iPad. Starting with iOS 14.5, Apple will not let apps access the IDFA of a device without express user permission, which will have an impact on cross-app and cross-website tracking used for ad targeting.

CAID has been in testing in China with major companies like Baidu, ByteDance (TikTok), and Tencent, as well as Proctor and Gamble. Apple in mid-March began warning developers not to circumvent App Tracking Transparency rules with methods like CAID. Apple has told developers that attempting to get around the new ad tracking restrictions will result in removal from the App Store.

“The ‌App Store‌ terms and guidelines apply equally to all developers around the world, including Apple,” an Apple spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal. “We believe strongly that users should be asked for their permission before being tracked. Apps that are found to disregard the user’s choice will be rejected.”

As a major worldwide advertiser, P&G has a vested interest in tracking users, and is the biggest Western company involved in the efforts to create an App Tracking Transparency alternative. P&G owns many major brands that include Gillette, Charmin, Pampers, Tide, Bounty, Pantene, Crest, Febreeze, and tons more.

In a statement, P&G told The Wall Street Journal that it is providing input to the China Advertising Agency in an effort to “deliver useful content consumers want in a way that prioritizes data privacy, transparency and consent.” Delivering useful content to consumers “means partnering with platforms and publishers–both directly and through our advertising associations across the globe.”

As Jim Geraghty wrote in October of 2019, when the CCP-NBA connection was exposed for millions of Americans to see, in a sort of prelude to what was to come the following year: We’re Not Exporting Our Values to China — We’re Importing Theirs.