Apple CEO Tim Cook has issued a simple but effective response on Twitter to the full-page ads Facebook ran in numerous newspapers challenging Apple on its privacy labels and claiming to be standing with small businesses. Privacy labels are now active in iOS 14.3, but the next phase of the privacy changes may not be seen for some time. Cook’s tweet included a mockup of an iPhone request asking the user whether Facebook can track them. This is what some may see when using Facebook on iOS 14, though this exact feature isn’t live yet.
Facebook's ads ran in newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal, declaring, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.” This was in response to Apple’s proposed privacy changes, which started with App Store privacy labels in iOS 14.3. Facebook makes the majority of its revenue from advertising, so any change that may affect user statistics and demographics is a financial concern.
Apple CEO Tim Cook’s public reply to Facebook’s ad came via a tweet that showed the request that will appear in a future version of iOS 14, expected to arrive early in 2021. The options shown to the user are to 'Allow' tracking of activity across apps and websites that belong to other companies or to 'Ask App not to Track.' The way permissions typically work is for the app to either continue working without permission or to prevent use of the app if permission is denied. It will be interesting to find out how Facebook intends to handle this challenge when the moment arrives. Clearly, the social media giant is concerned that many will choose for the app to stop tracking or to simply uninstall it. The recent App Store privacy disclosures for the Facebook app are quite daunting, requiring users to scroll through over 10 pages on an iPhone to see the entire list. At the time of publishing, Cook's tweet has over 11,000 retweets, over 2,500 quote tweets, and over 75,000 likes, including one from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.
Why Facebook Tracks Users
It's a bit surprising that Facebook launched an attack on Apple over privacy, given the social media company's ongoing complaints in this regard. Admittedly, it is in a bind that will only get worse unless its revenue model changes. Facebook is a free app with significant overheads for managing data centers worldwide and running a large staff for developing and maintaining a vast website, managing massive amounts of data with enormous bandwidth requirements, and moderating content somewhat. While many find fault with its efforts, it really is a Herculean task to keep track of what is happening with billions of users, groups, and pages. The fact that the service is free for users means that money must be made in some other way and advertising is the method that was chosen. Ads, of course, have more value when they are backed with demographics and statistics, so that is part of the equation.
While the principle is similar to television ads or radio ads, the big concern is that, unlike TV or radio, Facebook knows the daily lives of its users much more intimately. Every like, share, and comment provides data. Every check-in and photo gives a location. This is the same data that is available to various other companies, but usually in smaller chunks. The fact that Facebook has access to a person's entire life is not necessarily a bad thing, but it requires a level of trust that many never consider. With privacy issues being surfaced by Apple, this issue is going to grow and Facebook will have to adapt.
Source: Tim Cook/Twitter