Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – Facebook slammed Apple on Wednesday after making the latest changes to iOS data privacy that would make it difficult for advertisers to track users, a possible indication of the extent to which the social network considers the move a threat. For its core business.
On Wednesday, Facebook held a press event to attract small businesses opposed to change, and published a new hashtag to discuss the event and ads in several local newspapers criticizing Apple for the move.
In ads appearing in the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, Facebook criticized Apple’s upcoming requirements that require users to explicitly grant apps permission to track them online. Facebook said the move could be “devastating” for the millions of small businesses that advertise on its platform.
The newspaper’s ads coincide with a new section on Facebook for Business called “SpeakUpforSmall,” through which Facebook urges small business owners to share their stories to give them a “place to express their opinions”. Small business owners are also encouraged to use the hashtag # SpeakUpForSmall on social media to share what their personalized ads mean and what they could be without it.
Facebook and the companies that use it for marketing rely on tracking data to target users with personalized ads. The social media company, which generates nearly all of its revenue from advertising, warned investors in August that Apple’s software changes could harm its business.
The privacy change was announced at Apple’s Global Developers Conference in June, but postponed until early 2021. During the event, Apple revealed how a message would appear to the user asking if he wanted to allow the app to track it, warning that the data would be used for advertising purposes. Targeted.
In response to the Facebook campaign, Apple said in a statement to CNN: “We believe this is a simple matter of defending our users. Users should know when their data is collected and shared across apps and other sites, and they should have the option to allow it or not. Transparency of app tracking. In iOS 14, it does not require Facebook to change its approach to tracking users and creating targeted ads, it simply requires giving users a choice.
Apple has repeatedly tried to present itself as an advocate of consumer privacy, describing the changes in September as stemming from its belief that “privacy is a fundamental human right.” Facebook, criticized for its data privacy practices, is trying to position itself as an advocate for small businesses, many of which are suffering from the repercussions of the pandemic.
