Did you know that Apple was tracking your engagement on the new iPhone 5? 
 
 Well, it is. Luckily Apple's new iPhone 5 operating system, iOS 6, has a feature that allows users to limit developers from tracking their every move for targeted advertising. (We knew there had to be a silver lining to default iOS 6 maps.) 
 
 But it's not easy to find. 
 
 Apple warned developers that their access to UDIDs (your unique iPhone identifier) would be severely limited in March and now, with the switch of a button, that's finally the case. Apple, however, has simply replaced UDID with a new ad tracking system in iPhone 5. 
 
 If you've embraced the "do not track" movement — which, according to Pew, is the sentiment of 66 percent of the U.S. population — here's an easy step-by-step guide for how to limit ad tracking. 
 
 The process is really easy, albeit more counterintuitive than you'd think. 
 
 1. First, tap settings 
 
 2. Don't be tempted by the "Privacy" tab. Tap "General" instead. 
 
 3. Next, tap "About." 
 
 4. Scroll down and tap "Advertising" 
 
 5. Ta da! Slide "Limit Ad Tracking" to the right position. 
 
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 Apsalar’s Take on Apple’s Recent Announcement 
 
 by Michael Oiknine, CEO, Apsalar 
 
 Last April, I shared my thoughts that moving beyond the UDID was a good thing: (http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/17/developers-forced-to-find-alternatives-to-udid-and-thats-a-good-thing/). 
 
 In June, Apple announced the introduction of 2 new IDs in the UIDevice class as part of iOS6 (which will be available in the fall): 
 
 identifierForAdvertising (IDFA) which is a cross-app/publisher identifier 
 
 identifierForVendor (IDFV) which is a publisher-specific identifier 
 
 This is great news for the mobile app advertising industry, as it will significantly impact the industry’s revenue and growth. 
 
 Some reasons why IDFA is a better alternative to the UDID: 
 
 Sanctioned by Apple – We have seen the birth of multiple alternatives recently (OpenUDID, ODIN, etc.), but none has really taken off. That’s because the industry is still immature and fragmented and there are so many companies that believe their individual approaches are better. As the platform owner, Apple has the power to make everyone follow and align under one, universal approach. Better than the UDID – According to information currently available, the IDFA is actually better suited for advertising purposes than the UDID, as the IDFA appears to act like a persistent cookie. Let’s take the example where a user sells his phone to someone else. With the old UDID model, the UDID would stay constant and the new phone owner’s profile data would get mixed in with the former owner’s data. With the new IDFA, if the original user resets his new phone, he will get a new IDFA and his profile will stay constant without any cross-contamination of profiles. Addresses privacy concerns – Although Apple has not made explicit statements regarding the opt-out mechanism that will come with the IDFA, it is likely that Apple will offer a way for users to opt out on a per advertising network basis. For example, the user could opt out of receiving ads from Google’s AdMob or even Apple’s own iAd network. The hope is that the opt in status is “on” by default, so that the mobile ad industry can work with the new ID system but simultaneously allow users who have concerns about tracking to opt out. This ability to opt out is likely the key to why Apple has replaced the UDID and come up with the IFDA as an acceptable alternative that balances the needs of the user and the mobile app advertising industry. Doesn’t require big development costs – For those advertising vendors who have been working on developing their own, independent post-UDID mechanisms, much of that code can easily be re-used and modified to include another ID from Apple in the mix. Therefore, development efforts will not have been in vain. 
 
 It’s now up to mobile advertisers to use this new ID and offer responsible advertising solutions with a focus on the following areas: 
 
 No (or limited) collection of PII 
 
 Consumer notice of collection and use of behavioral data 
 
 Targeting only on non-PII behavioral data 
 
 Conspicuous choice to opt out of behavioral advertising 
 
 —Michael Oiknine, CEO, Apsalar ||||| Flickr/pasukaru76 Apple's launch of the iPhone 5 in September came with a bunch of new commercials to promote the device. 
 
 But Apple didn't shout quite so loud about an enhancement to its new mobile operating system, iOS 6, which also occurred in September: The company has started tracking users so that advertisers can target them again, through a new tracking technology called IFA or IDFA. 
 
 Previously, Apple had all but disabled tracking of iPhone users by advertisers when it stopped app developers from utilizing Apple mobile device data via UDID, the unique, permanent, non-deletable serial number that previously identified every Apple device. 
 
 For the last few months, iPhone users have enjoyed an unusual environment in which advertisers have been largely unable to track and target them in any meaningful way. 
 
 In iOS 6, however, tracking is most definitely back on, and it's more effective than ever, multiple mobile advertising executives familiar with IFA tell us. (Note that Apple doesn't mention IFA in its iOS 6 launch page). 
 
 Users can switch off that targeting, but it's tricky, as we discovered a couple of days ago. Although at least iOS 6 users are able to turn off tracking, which they weren't before. 
 
 Here's how it works. 
 
 IFA or IDFA stands for "identifier for advertisers." It's a random, anonymous number that is assigned to a user and their device. It is temporary and can be blocked, like a cookie. 
 
 When you look at an app, or browse the web, your presence generates a call for an ad. The publisher's site that you're looking at then passes the IFA to the ad server. The advertiser is then able to know that a specific iPhone user is looking at a specific publication and can serve an ad targeting that user. IFA becomes particularly useful, for instance, if an ad server notices that a particular IFA is looking at a lot of different car sites. Perhaps that user is interested in buying a new car. They'll likely start seeing a lot of car ads on their iPhone. 
 
 More importantly, IFA will allow advertisers to track the user all the way to "conversion" — which for most advertisers consists of an app download. Previously, advertisers had no idea whether their ads actually drove people to download apps or buy things. Now IFA will tell them. 
 
 The IFA does not identify you personally — it merely provides a bunch of aggregate audience data that advertisers can target with ads. 
 
 iPhone Screengrab Tracking is on by default 
 
 The new iPhone operating system comes with three things that make tracking easier for advertisers and reduce the likelihood that you'll opt out. 
 
 iOS 6 comes in a default "tracking on" position. You have to affirmatively switch it off if you do not want advertisers to see what you're up to. 
 
 The tracking control in iPhone's settings is NOT contained where you might expect it, under the "Privacy" menu. Instead, it's found under "General," then "About," and then the "Advertising" section of the Settings menu. 
 
 The tracking control is titled "Limit Ad Tracking," and must be turned to ON, not OFF, in order to work. That's slightly confusing — "ON" means ads are off! — so a large number of people will likely get this wrong. 
 
 Those three factors combined mean that a huge proportion of iPhone users are unlikely to ever opt out of tracking. 
 
 "It's a really pretty elegant, simple solution," says Mobile Theory CEO Scott Swanson. "The biggest thing we're excited about is that it's on by default, so we expect most people will leave it on." 
 
 (His take on IFA's capabilities was confirmed by two other mobile ad execs at rival companies.) 
 
 Again, IFA doesn't identify you as a person to advertisers. What it does do, however, is provide advertisers with "a really meaningful inference of behavior," Swanson says. "We haven't had access to that information before." 
 
 Related: 
 
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– There's an iOS6 feature you probably haven't heard of that's making some people very happy. Unfortunately, those people are advertisers. The new iPhone OS comes with a new tracking system that clues advertisers in on how you're using the phone, Business Insider reports. Tracking is turned on by default, and the option to turn it off is downright hidden—it's not, as you might expect, in your "privacy" settings, it's in your "general" settings under "about." (The site has a how-to here.) Users have been enjoying a blissful window of privacy until now, after Apple shut down its old UDID system. But unlike the old system, the new IFA (Identifier For Advertisers) is anonymous and temporary, like a browser cookie. "It's a really simple, elegant solution," gushes one ad exec, saying it gives "a really meaningful inference of behavior. We haven't had access to that information before." Another ad CEO writes that it's "great news for the mobile app advertising industry," particularly because it "addresses privacy concerns."