Procter & Gamble Co. participated in testing an advertising technique developed in China to collect iPhone data for targeted advertising, a step designed to provide companies with a way to circumvent Apple Inc.’s new privacy tools, according to people familiar with the matter.
The move is part of a broader effort by the consumer goods giant to prepare for an era in which new rules and consumer preferences limit the amount of data available to marketers. P&G – among the world’s largest advertisers, with brands such as Gillette razors and Charmin toilet paper – is the largest Western company involved in the effort, people said.
The company has joined forces with dozens of Chinese trade groups and technology companies working with the state-backed China Advertising Association to develop the new technique, which would use technology called fingerprint devices, people said. Called CAID, the advertising method is tested through applications and collects data from iPhone users to run targeted ads.
Apple is planning a software update in the coming weeks, which will force app users to choose whether they want their activity tracked to other companies’ apps and websites. Apple supported the new software as an important step in putting privacy controls in the hands of users. The fingerprinting of the devices complies with Apple’s rules, and the technology company said it will ban any application that violates its policies.
“The App Store’s terms and guidelines apply equally to all developers around the world, including Apple,” said an Apple spokesman. “We strongly believe that users’ permission should be sought before they can be tracked. Applications that are found not to comply with the user’s choice will be rejected. ”