A device identifier access method, comprising: receiving, by a terminal, request information for accessing a first device identifier by a target application; in response to the request information, determining, by the terminal, whether first access permission for the target application to access the first device identifier is stored; if the terminal determines that the first access permission is not stored, sending, by the terminal, permission query request information to a permission management server by using a wireless network, wherein the permission query request information comprises an identifier of the target application; receiving, by the permission management server, the permission query request information; determining, by the permission management server, whether device identifier access permission information of the target application is stored, wherein the device identifier access permission information comprises the first access permission used when the target application accesses the first device identifier; if the permission management server determines that the device identifier access permission information of the target application is not stored, sending, by the permission management server, application type request information to an application server, wherein the application type request information comprises the identifier of the target application; receiving, by the application server, the application type request information; sending, by the application server, an application type corresponding to the target application to the permission management server; using, by the permission management server based on the application type, device identifier access permission information of a candidate application that has the same application type as the target application as the device identifier access permission information of the target application; sending, by the permission management server, the device identifier access permission information of the target application to the terminal; and when the first access permission in the device identifier access permission information is allowing access to a dummy value of the first device identifier, returning, by the terminal, the dummy value of the first device identifier to the target application, wherein the dummy value of the first device identifier is obtained after anonymization processing is performed on a real value of the first device identifier. receiving, by a terminal, request information for accessing a first device identifier by a target application; in response to the request information, determining, by the terminal, whether first access permission for the target application to access the first device identifier is stored; if the terminal determines that the first access permission is not stored, sending, by the terminal, permission query request information to a permission management server by using a wireless network, wherein the permission query request information comprises an identifier of the target application; receiving, by the permission management server, the permission query request information; determining, by the permission management server, whether device identifier access permission information of the target application is stored, wherein the device identifier access permission information comprises the first access permission used when the target application accesses the first device identifier; if the permission management server determines that the device identifier access permission information of the target application is not stored, sending, by the permission management server, application type request information to an application server, wherein the application type request information comprises the identifier of the target application; receiving, by the application server, the application type request information; sending, by the application server, an application type corresponding to the target application to the permission management server; using, by the permission management server based on the application type, device identifier access permission information of a candidate application that has the same application type as the target application as the device identifier access permission information of the target application; sending, by the permission management server, the device identifier access permission information of the target application to the terminal; and when the first access permission in the device identifier access permission information is allowing access to a dummy value of the first device identifier, returning, by the terminal, the dummy value of the first device identifier to the target application, wherein the dummy value of the first device identifier is obtained after anonymization processing is performed on a real value of the first device identifier.