Facebook is moving its mobile devices back on new Apple privacy rules — and putting the app developers in the centre.
Apple will soon require apps to request permission from users to collect data on what devices they are using, and to allow advertisements to follow them on the internet. Wednesday the social network said those rules could limit what apps would gain through advertising across Facebook ‘s network of viewers.
Facebook said it expects its own advertising revenue to have “less impact” than the ad-supported companies that rely on its network of users to promote their apps. The network of viewers allows advertisers on Facebook and Instagram to put their advertisements elsewhere on the internet.
Apple says iOS 14, the latest version of its mobile operating system, is designed to protect the privacy of individuals. It will allow apps to request permission from users to gather and share data using a unique code that recognizes their iPhones and iPads. The update is expected later this fall.
Facebook said it will no longer obtain the advertisers’ identifier on its own apps for iOS 14 devices because of this shift. It also asks companies to create a new ad account dedicated exclusively to running ads for iOS 14 users apps in order to comply with the new rules of Apple.
Finance chief Dave Wehner said in Facebook’s second-quarter earnings call last month that the company is “still trying to understand what these changes will look like and how they will affect us and the rest of the industry. But the least, it will make it harder for app developers and others to flourish using advertising on Facebook and elsewhere.
He also called targeted ads “are a lifeline for small businesses , particularly during COVID times.”
Apple, on the other hand, said it’s designed to give users more options about how businesses on the internet want to monitor them — and the ability to say no if they don’t.
