Maybe I misread your intent, but it sounded like a "gotcha!" on the original post because the author didn't dive into something with even worse privacy protections. Google and Android don't need to be brought up every time Apple privacy is being discussed. For a huge swathe of people it's an irrelevant point. And, yes, I believe Apple could do better. Being better at privacy than Google isn't a monumental hurdle to clear. We can and should push all parties to do better.
> They're doing users the favor of letting them know what information apps can collect so that users can make informed choices.
The whole point of the article is that this information is hard to find and hard to understand. The author is suggesting Apple find a better way to present that data. That would help consumers make a more informed decision. Many people don't realize just how pervasive that tracking is. Perhaps surfacing that data would help consumers pressure bad actors into being better citizens.
Moreover, I'd argue they should also use their platform to rein things in. It'd be nice if they used their position to improve the privacy of their users. It's their walled garden. It's their platform. It's their APIs being used. The App Store already has a bunch of rules, most of which benefit Apple, so I don't think it's a huge leap to add one that protects consumers. And a lot of the current privacy issues are a result of Apple and Google building a new platform that gives apps unprecedented access to personal data. I think they have a responsibility to clean up that mess.
If that means apps like Threads aren't viable, so be it. But, I suspect Meta would be able to find a way to make a social media app that doesn't need to track so much.
