The iPhone maker's "Hide My Email" feature will complicate things for publishers, content creators and ad tech companies.
Apple's latest "Hide My Email" feature generates fake email addresses that forward emails to users' real addresses if someone signs up for newsletters or completes any digital transaction. The feature allows users to keep their email addresses hidden from publishers and ad tech companies. Only Apple will know users' original email addresses.
This feature currently applies to only a narrow share of the mobile consumer base. But, this update would make it challenging for publishers and content companies to collect users' first-party data and be an analytics "disaster."
The removal of tracking pixel attached to emails will also stop senders from seeing if a recipient has opened their email. This feature can further open up loopholes that plague publishers and content companies.
[4 minute read]
