Google relies on ads for its revenue, which is why it’s no surprise that it’s undermining Apple by telling developers how to bypass some of the security settings Apple is implementing with iOS 9.
The App Transport Security (ATS) settings requires content which arrives on your iPhone to use the “https” encryption settings — making sure that third parties can’t track what users are doing on their iPhones.
As Google writes in a blog post:
“While Google remains committed to industry-wide adoption of HTTPS, there isn’t always full compliance on third party ad networks and custom creative code served via our systems.
To ensure ads continue to serve on iOS9 devices for developers transitioning to HTTPS, the recommended short term fix is to add an exception that allows HTTP requests to succeed and non-secure content to load successfully.”
Google additionally gives the five lines of code developers can use to opt out of Apple’s new ATS settings with their app. These are:
<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key> <dict> <key>NSAllowsArbitraryLoads</key> <true/> </dict>
As you’d expect, the decision is somewhat controversial on Google’s part, but Google has defended it as a last resort.
It’s not the first time it’s run into problems with Apple over the whole security vs. advertising issue, either. In 2012, Google was landed with a $22.5 million fine after hacking Apple’s Safari web browser to disable a setting blocking an ad tool.
This sneaky workaround isn’t illegal, but it’s unlikely to endear Google to the folks at Cupertino.
Source: iPhonehacks
