Utiq, a company founded by mobile phone providers, combines the phone number and IP address of smartphone users in one ID in order to track their visits to websites and thus enable advertisers to display personalized ads.
Advertising is a lucrative business. This is especially true when it can be delivered in a personalized manner – that is, tailored to the individual user. The mobile phone companies know this too and are relying on a method of user tracking: the joint venture founded by Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica/O2, Orange and Vodafone Utiq uses the telephone number in conjunction with the IP address to follow the respective user on his or her path through the network.
How does Utiq tracking work
First of all, it should be emphasized that Utiq services are aimed at smartphone users. If they visit a website via a mobile connection, they must actively consent to tracking. A separate consent is displayed for this purpose, comparable to a classic cookie banner.
After consent, the IP address is transmitted to Utiq or directly to the mobile phone provider, who uses this address to identify the subscriber behind it and develops an identifier from the data, such as the Digital Club D64 writes in his analysis. This is referred to by Utiq as a “network signal” and therefore enables precise recognition of the user. The partners of the company, which is currently active in six European countries, receive an advertising ID derived from this, which does not contain any information on telephone or customer numbers. A distinction is made between the partners: the validity of the IDs issued to advertisers is limited to 24 hours. Website operators who use the service to personalize a website can access an identifier that is valid for 90 days.
How can I prevent user tracking?
Even though the major mobile phone providers have launched Utiq, there are still providers who do not support the technology. Anyone who wants to keep tracking at bay at all costs can therefore consider changing provider. However, it is questionable whether such a change will provide long-term security. However, it can be assumed that the number of providers who refrain from using Utiq services will decrease. This is especially true as the offer is also available from major media companies. attracts interestThe “FAZ”, the “Handelsblatt Media Group”, the “SZ” and the “Zeit” have already integrated the technology into their websites.
A similarly rigid option is the use of VPN, which, however, has to be set up. Many users are likely to shy away from this, even though the corresponding app can be configured since Android 7 to start automatically and is therefore always active.
Websites ask for information every time you visit
Utiq itself sees itself as exemplary when it comes to protecting personal data and privacy. And in fact, great importance is attached to the fact that there is a choice: websites that use the services must obtain consent from smartphone users. To do this, a separate dialog window opens when you visit. Here you can already refuse tracking.
Another option is the Utiq consentHub. Here you can generally object to tracking if it is supported by your mobile phone provider. If you then visit a website linked to the services, you will still be asked for your consent via a banner. But even if you accidentally allow tracking, the global setting applies. Only when the website is accessed – and the banner appears – is a check carried out in the background to see whether there is a general rejection. The visit is therefore not tracked.
Global opt-out valid for one year
However, the option to generally reject Utiq services has one drawback: it is limited to one year. The company states that tracking will remain deactivated after that. But there is one exception. If you accidentally allow tracking when visiting a website via the banner displayed there, it will no longer be blocked by the globally defined settings.