Facebook and Apple in Fight Over User Privacy

Apple and Facebook are in the middle of a fight, and your browsing history is right in the middle. People’s privacy is probably one of the most important things when it comes to surfing the web or browsing online.

What We Know:

• Apple announced several new privacy updates for iOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this year, including a feature called App Tracking Transparency that would require people to opt into apps collecting their data rather than needing them to opt-out. The update threatens to uproot several ad-tracking features in apps, including Facebook. The privacy change was announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference in June but was delayed until early 2021.
• The feature in iOS 14 is expected to be released in early 2021, which will hurt small businesses. FaceBook expanded on its position in a blog post, saying that Apple’s new policy is more about profit than privacy. Facebook has previously said the iOS update would mean less profit for advertisers because of less effective tracking. In the ads on Wednesday, Facebook says: “While limiting how personalized ads can be used does impact larger companies like us, these changes will be devastating to small businesses.”
• Apple has defended the tracking changes, saying they give users more control. In a public letter last month, Jane Horvath, the company’s privacy chief, called out Facebook for its data collection practices and said Apple remains “fully committed” to its app tracking transparency feature and other privacy protections. On Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted that Facebook could continue to collect user data as long as it got permission first.

We believe users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it’s used. Facebook can continue to track users across apps and websites as before, App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14 will just require that they ask for your permission first. pic.twitter.com/UnnAONZ61I

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 17, 2020

• Apple has repeatedly attempted to position itself as a defender of consumer privacy, describing the changes in September as stemming from its belief that “privacy is a fundamental human right.” Facebook, which has been criticized for its data privacy practices, is attempting to position itself as a defender of small businesses, many of which are grappling with the fallout from the pandemic.

Tim Facebook for Business website states that about 44% of small businesses have turned to personalized ads to adapt to the outbreak of COVID-19. The new iOS update will be released in 2021, most likely in January.