Citing unnamed developers, Dan Frommer reported the move by Apple, which may be an effort by the company to boost privacy protections for its iOS customers. Some developers had reportedly been using this API as a way to track users without requiring their consent to do so.
Privacy has been of increasing concern in recent months, as the U.S. Congress and federal regulators have been questioning and examining data collection techniques being used by smartphone makers. If Apple removed this API in an effort to boost privacy, it could have been a preemptory move by the company to make regulatory and legal restrictions unnecessary.
Thanks to iStockphoto for some images.
