Sarah Perez at Techcrunch (@sarahintampa) reports today that mobile app network W3i now recommends that app developers use MAC addresses in lieu of the Unique Device Identifiers (UDID’s) that Apple no longer allows app’s to access in the latest version of iOS.
This raises the question of whether we’re soon to be in a game of whack-a-mole when it comes to storing unique device identifiers. If Apple pulled the plug on UDID’s for iOS5, will they pull the plug on MAC addresses, too? As Techcrunch puts it:
After all, considering that the removal of developer access to the UDID was intended to better respect user privacy, simply allowing developers to switch to a second unique ID would violate the spirit of Apple’s decision, if not the actual terms.
From a privacy point of view, we suggest asking, does your app really need an identifier that spans all apps, or can you meet your purposes by using local app storage for your own unique artifact?
Don’t forget, if you do change the information you collect, you must make sure your privacy policy stays up to date with those changes. By hosting your policy with Policymaker, these kinds of updates are a cinch, and don’t require code changes.