Apple unveils feature to stop data tracking

(KYMA, KECY/CNN) - Apple is making a massive change to how developers can track your behavior by launching a feature called "App Tracking" on its IOS 14.5 operating system.

The 14.5 IOS operating system runs on iPhones and users must now give explicit permission for apps to track their behaviors.

In the past, apps have been allowed to track that data by default. While users could stop it, they still had to dig for settings that were often difficult to locate to turn tracking off in each and every app.

Many apps keep track of things like age, location and spending habits. They then use that information to deliver targeted advertising. Some apps also sell the information to third parties. Facebook is one of the most well-known collectors of such data.

The social media platform frequently uses the information it collects to show users advertisements for products they are likely to be interested in purchasing.

Facebook warned investors back in August that this new Apple feature could hurt its business.