Updated: Your unique ID is being connected to devices to create an immutable record even when you ask for your history to be forgotten.
At least 17,000 Android applications are creating permanent records of your online activity for advertising purposes even when you ask for such information to be forgotten.
New research published by the International Computer Science Institute in California suggests that these apps are using your Advertising ID, alongside persistent identifiers which can be used for the purposes of ad personalization and targeting, in order to
create fixed records of past and present user online activity without user consent.
As reported by
sister site CNET, it appears that these mobile applications are violating
Google's policies on user tracking and advert monetization.
Google requires that developers and advertisers do not connect Advertising IDs to personally-identifiable information or device information including Android ID, IMEIs, SSAIDs, or MAC addresses.
In addition, Google stipulates that users who choose to opt out of ad personalization must be respected. However, according to the institute, developers are ignoring these rules en masse.
