Like someone who's thought of a witty comeback long after an argument has ended, Facebook has come up with a way to counter Apple's privacy labels and it wants us to know all about it. To recap, Facebook was angry that Apple might show the users of its app just how much data it collects about them. Now, a month-and-a-half later when everyone thought it might have decided to just suck it up, Facebook has unveiled a big, clever plan to get one over Apple, which is to tell its users that yes, it does collect a huge amount of data about them, but no, there's nothing to worry about. Everything's fine.
Apple introduced Privacy Labels with iOS 14.3 as a way to give users of its products an idea of what data is collected by apps so that they can make a more informed decision about whether to grant apps certain permissions or to install them at all. The information listed for Facebook, it transpired, ran to over 10 pages on an iPhone, which no doubt had something to do with the surprising full-page newspaper ads Facebook subsequently placed in which it screeched non-sequiturs about supporting small businesses and about "Apple vs. the free internet." In short, the company argued that Apple's outrageous idea of telling people what it did would "limit businesses' ability to run personalized ads and reach their customers effectively." At no point did Facebook address the privacy concerns of its individual users in the ads. Apple CEO Tim Cook responded by tweeting that Facebook's ability to track data wasn't being limited, only that there should be transparency about what data is tracked by apps and that users should be able to choose how their data is used.
Such was the reason and logic of Cook's response and the lack of a retort from Facebook that it seemed it had taken it on the chin. Instead, it transpires, Facebook has been stewing away trying to find a way to show just how great it is and, if possible, to skewer Apple in the process. Behold, an update to a blog post it published on December 16, in which Facebook announces that its big idea to counter Apple's privacy label is to add a label of its own to provide additional context about how data is used. So pleased with itself is Facebook for having found a way to make its case without contravening Apple's rules that it gleefully ends the update, "We feel that people deserve the additional context, and Apple has said that providing education is allowed."
Facebook, Apple, data, & ads
In its update, Facebook also says, "Apple’s new prompt suggests there is a tradeoff between personalized advertising and privacy; when in fact, we can and do provide both." There are arguments to be made both ways for that and, as Facebook rightly points out in that last link, it does give users "settings and controls to help people manage their privacy." The big question about whether it is ethical or healthy to track such vast volumes of data about individual users — and, more broadly, 2.8 billion users as a whole — remains untouched. Don't forget that Facebook's problem with misinformation is, in part, down to people using the data it's collected to target specific groups.
The very fact that Facebook has seen fit to announce its new data context screens rather than just rolling them out shows that it knows people aren't fully convinced. Similarly, its refrain that it's looking out for small businesses, which it reprises again in this most recent update, paints an altruistic picture of it helping the little guy without mention of the fact that it makes a huge amount of money from the advertising it sells and would suffer were there any limitations placed on the advertising it could sell. It would be easier to take its complaints seriously if it weren't so opaque about the issues involved.
Facebook is a remarkable platform for keeping people connected. It's also a business with every right to sell advertising and make money. It's also right to say that it gives users some degree of control over their data and privacy. Its indignation at Apple is misplaced though. There is legitimate discussion to be had about how data is tracked and used online and Facebook shouldn't be moaning about people being given insights about that but being upfront about the issues and challenges being faced.
Source: Facebook