Facebook And Apple Clash

A new feature is being introduced to iPhones and iPads which will allow device users to refuse having their data collected by apps and this is causing a serious problem between Apple and Facebook. The two companies are in bitter disagreement  that centers on the iPhone data of millions of people and whether companies should be able to track that data as easily as they do now.  

Facebook has been pushed off balance because user data, and the tidal wave of advertising revenue that it generates, has the potential to deal a severe blow to its core business model.

While Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the move is about giving users control over intrusive data collection, Facebook says that Apple is acting out of self-interest. The iPhone maker is expected to roll out an update to its operating system that prompts you to give apps permission to track their activity across other apps and the web. That change, which Apple calls App Tracking Transparency, may seem small. Lots of apps already track our web activity through default settings we accept when we install them.

The row focuses on a unique device identifier on every iPhone and iPad, called the IDFA (Identifier For Advertisers). Companies which sell mobile ads, including Facebook, use this IDFA to both target ads and estimate their effectiveness. The IDFA can also be paired with other tech, such as Facebook's tracking pixels or tracking cookies, which follow users around the web, to learn even more about you.

Apple has little interest in its customers' data because it makes money from selling devices and in-app purchases, rather than from advertising. Plus it has always marketed itself as a privacy-first company.

Apple co-founder Steve Jobs acknowledged that some people didn't care about how much data they shared, but said they should always be informed of how it was being used. "Privacy means people know what they're signing up for, in plain English and repeatedly... ask them, ask them every time," he once said. More recently the current chief executive Tim Cook said: "If a business is built on misleading users, on data exploitation, on choices that are no choices at all, it does not deserve our praise. It deserves reform."

Facebook has warned that the app update could cut the money earned through its ad network by half and t argues that sharing data with advertisers is key to giving users "better experiences". It also says that Apple is being hypocritical, because it will force businesses to turn to subscriptions and other in-app payments for revenue, from which Apple takes a cut.

The response from some other leading social media and technology businesses is mixed: 

  • Snapchat expressed support for Apple's changes, but CFO Derek Andersen said during its earnings call that the change represents "a risk of interruption" to demand for advertising. 
  • Twitter has said that the changes could have a modest impact on its performance but didn't elaborate.
  • Mozilla, Firefox and others are not supporting Apple, while the privacy advocacy group, the  Electronic Frontier Foundation said it was a "terrible idea", suggesting Google should ensure that browsers "work for users, not for advertisers".

NPR:     Facebook      CNet:        BBC:       Image: Unsplash

You Might Also Read:

Digital Advertising Is A $Billion Ripoff:

 

« Darktrace Share Price Jumps
Hackers Threaten To Publish Police Informant Data »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

The PC Support Group

The PC Support Group

A partnership with The PC Support Group delivers improved productivity, reduced costs and protects your business through exceptional IT, telecoms and cybersecurity services.

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Perimeter 81 / How to Select the Right ZTNA Solution

Gartner insights into How to Select the Right ZTNA offering. Download this FREE report for a limited time only.

IT Governance

IT Governance

IT Governance is a leading global provider of information security solutions. Download our free guide and find out how ISO 27001 can help protect your organisation's information.

ManageEngine

ManageEngine

As the IT management division of Zoho Corporation, ManageEngine prioritizes flexible solutions that work for all businesses, regardless of size or budget.

Syxsense

Syxsense

Syxsense brings together endpoint management and security for greater efficiency and collaboration between IT management and security teams.

Mellanox Technologies

Mellanox Technologies

Mellanox Technologies is a leading supplier of end-to-end Ethernet and InfiniBand intelligent interconnect solutions and services for servers, storage, and hyper-converged infrastructure.

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

The Information Commissioner's Office is an independent authority set up to uphold information rights in the public interest.

Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT)

Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT)

INSCT is a center for the study of national security, international security, and counterterrorism. Research programs include New Frontiers in Science, Cyber, & Technology

Latvian Information & Communications Technology Association (LIKTA)

Latvian Information & Communications Technology Association (LIKTA)

LIKTA brings together leading Latvian companies, organizations and professionals in the field of Information & Communications Technology

Roke Manor Research

Roke Manor Research

Roke is a world-class electronics engineering consultancy. Areas of expertise include cyber security, cyber assurance and cryptographic solutions.

Plixer

Plixer

Plixer delivers a network traffic analytics system used for monitoring, visualization, and reporting of network and security incidents.

Vector InfoTech

Vector InfoTech

Vector InfoTech is a leader in Industrial Security, Networks, IT and Telecommunications.

Blockchain Slovakia

Blockchain Slovakia

Blockchain Slovakia is a non-profit organization that brings together researchers, developers, entrepreneurs, regulators, investors and the public to support blockchain technology in Slovakia.

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

AIT is Austria's largest research and technology organisation and a specialist in the key infrastructure issues of the future including data science and cybersecurity.

Humming Heads

Humming Heads

Humming Heads offers a complete solution to fight the advanced threats that target a company's endpoints and servers.

Ribbon Communications

Ribbon Communications

Ribbon Communications delivers global communications software and network solutions to service providers, enterprises, and critical infrastructure sectors.

Viettel Cyber Security

Viettel Cyber Security

Viettel Cyber Security is an organization under the Military Telecommunication Industry Group, conducting research and developing information security solutions for domestic and foreign customers.

Atlantic Data Security

Atlantic Data Security

Atlantic Data Security is skilled in the analysis, recommendation, deployment, and management of all critical components of the security infrastructure.

Threatsys Technologies

Threatsys Technologies

Threatsys’s Integrated cyber security process helps your organizations to ensure that it’s secure from any fraudulent attacks.

Aquia

Aquia

Aquia are on a mission to enable innovation and drive transformative change to solve the world’s most pressing and complex cybersecurity challenges.

GovSky

GovSky

GovSky streamlines CMMC compliance, saving time and significantly reducing cost.