Apple has initiated rather big changes to its privacy policies and, unsurprisingly, there are a few that are not so happy about it. Also unsurprisingly, Facebook has been the loudest voice opposing changes to user data tracking across sites and apps but it has also accepted the reality that Apple isn’t going to give in, no matter how loud it cries. Now it’s telling businesses and partners that it has no choice but to comply with Apple’s requirements that will have a negative impact on those businesses in the long run, at least according to Facebook.
Apple made it clear that it isn’t against advertising per se nor even the use of cross-site, cross-app tracking that the likes of Facebook, Google, and other advertising platforms use. What it is trying to do is give users the upfront choice whether to allow that tracking or not rather than the default of tracking them implicitly.
Facebook, on the other hand, has been using all kinds of rhetoric to present this change as anti-business. It claims that since users are more likely to opt out of tracking, it would reduce the effectiveness of ads and metrics that rely on tracking where users go even on their mobile devices. It isn’t backing down from that position even as it says it has no choice but to concede to Apple’s requirements.
iMore reports that Facebook sent businesses an email explaining why it has to update its apps to show that prompt despite its opposition. It says that not doing so would mean getting Facebook and its apps blocked on iOS, which would cause even more harm for both businesses and users. It also assures those businesses that it will be providing guidance and steps on how they could adjust to Apple’s new world order.
Naturally, Facebook didn’t miss the opportunity to say that these privacy changes, while presented as pro-user, are really pro-Apple in the end. It will benefit Apple, the social media giant says, because creators, publishers, and developers will have to rely on subscriptions and in-app purchases instead of ads and, unlike with ads, Apple will get a percentage from those fees.
