Apple's iOS 10 will give users more privacy — but it could affect the advertising industry (AAPL)

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Last week, Apple unveiled a new update to its Limit Ad Tracking on the next version of iOS 10, which will give users much greater control over their Identifier for Advertising (IDFA).

Right now, Limit Ad Tracking alerts mobile developers and advertisers that users do not want ads targeted based on their behavior, but it sends the alert with their IDFA attached. With the iOS 10 update, users who have turned on Limit Ad Tracking will effectively become anonymous to advertisers, according to Fiksu.

The move is unlikely to affect Apple itself — the company discontinued its iAd business last month, making advertising less important to its bottom line. But it’s very much in line with Apple’s position as a company that upholds its users privacy over all else.

The change to Limit Ad Tracking could have a noticeable affect on both iOS users and advertisers:

• For mobile users, it means more control over data, but could result in an increase in contextless ads. In the post-Snowden era of smartphone users, privacy is paramount. And so it makes sense that Apple would provide users with more control over their user data, especially given its highly publicized stance against the FBI. However, if no data is given to advertisers, users who have Limit Ad Tracking enabled could end up receiving poorly targeted ads. Furthermore, this data tells advertisers which users have received a specific ad campaign, and without it users could end up receiving the same campaigns multiple times. 

• Advertisers may end up being blamed for poorly targeted ads and will inevitably lose out on revenue. As it stands, roughly 14% of iOS users implement Limit Ad Tracking on their devices, Fiksu notes. However, even at this low number, advertisers are likely to suffer from loss of revenue. Moreover, users are likely to attribute the poor ad experiences to advertisers themselves, rather than to the use of Limit Ad Tracking. This could have the spillover effect of tarnishing a brand's name. 

Apple’s increasingly stringent approach to protecting users’ personal data is reflective of a wider trend within the mobile industry. A majority of the top messaging apps likeWhatsApp offer end-to-end encryption for users by default. And those that don’t, like Facebook Messenger and Google’s upcoming Allo, provide an opt-in option for users.

These apps offer more integrative features that require access to user data to work properly — like chatbots that run on artificial intelligence infused into the chat app. Turning on secure texting blocks the ability of these programs to tap into a user's messages. Moving forward, it will become increasingly common for consumers to weigh the convenience of these services against their need for personal security.

Mobile security is also key for the enterprise sector. Employees are increasingly using their mobile devices to complete work tasks remotely — whether their employer wants them to or not. Mobile devices allow employees to answer emails, schedule meetings, and complete other tasks on the go.

Though this practice is great for productivity, it could expose enterprise data and applications that are stored on employees' devices to hackers. We expect mobile workers — employees who use mobile devices in their work — to comprise 72% of the US workforce in 2021, up from 65% in 2016.

BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled a detailed report on enterprise mobile security that examines the rising security threats from employee use of mobile devices. It also details the policies that enterprises can implement to provide secure access to company information through employees' mobile devices, as well as the challenges in enforcing these policies. Lastly, it explains different types of solutions and offers best practices that can help enterprises keep their networks and data secure amid rising enterprise mobility activity.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Enterprise mobility is on the rise. We expect mobile workers to comprise 72% of the US workforce in 2021.
• The number of malicious programs launched by hackers to target mobile is rising exponentially, and malware targeting mobile is becoming more sophisticated.
• Despite the security risks, companies are increasingly moving to Bring Your Own (BYO) device and app strategies for employees. These strategies improve employee satisfaction, but complicate enterprise security. 
• Enterprises are still struggling with several basic challenges in securely implementing BYO policies. Companies need to allow employees a fair amount of flexibility in how they use mobile devices for work so they don't bypass basic company security policies. 
• Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) solutions provide tools for monitoring employee devices or apps and ensuring that enterprise data can't be stolen off a device.
• Aside from using software management tools, implementing best practices can also make BYO policies much less risky from a security standpoint. Enterprises should train employees about cybersecurity threats and gather early input from security teams.
• In the future, the data that enterprise mobile applications will access will increasingly reside in the cloud. 

In full, the report:

• Looks at the most common channels for spear phishing attacks against employees.

• Examines the enterprise strategies governing employees' ownership and use of their own devices for work purposes.

• Discusses the top major security and management challenges related to Bring Your Own practices.

• Explains the Enterprise Mobility Management (EMM) technologies organizations are using to manage employees’ mobile devices and how those devices access enterprise IT networks and data. 

• Highlights the best security practices for companies when putting BYO policies in place.

Interested in getting the full report? Here are two ways to access it:

1. Subscribe to an All-Access pass to BI Intelligence and gain immediate access to this report and over 100 other expertly researched reports. As an added bonus, you'll also gain access to all future reports and daily newsletters to ensure you stay ahead of the curve and benefit personally and professionally. » START A MEMBERSHIP
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The choice is yours. But however you decide to acquire this report, you’ve given yourself a powerful advantage in your understanding of enterprise mobile security.