App tracking, a lucrative business misunderstood by many phone users

Apps often make it feel like tracking is necessary for them to work properly. Instead it's all about getting your data to make money. — Photo: Christin Klose/dpa

LONDON: It’s a multibillion dollar piggy bank for Big Tech, but app tracking remains something of a mystery to many mobile phone users.

According to new research, people commonly think such tracking is needed for an app to work effectively. However the real aim is to gather information on the phone user for targeted advertisements to appear on-screen.