Apple recently toughened its privacy features with the introduction of iOS 14.5, which makes app tracking just an option users can opt out of. However, Facebook is hell-bent on convincing people as to why they should let it collect their data.
Both Facebook and Instagram have started showing pop-ups to iOS users with an aim to sell them the idea of app tracking but with a threat. Here’s what it is all about.
No app tracking, no free Facebook!
As revealed by technology researcher Ashkan Soltani, the notices sent by Facebook and Instagram provide people with more information on personalised ads and how this very concept helps keep Facebook “free of charge.”
And it begins. @Facebook / @Instagram explore additional scare tactics to combat @Apple iOS14 #ATT privacy changes.
“Help keep Facebook free of charge” pic.twitter.com/mOB9WJpz9A
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) April 30, 2021
This hints at the possibility that Facebook and its apps won’t be free if users continue to refrain from tracking them.
The Mark Zuckerberg-owned social media platform talks about the same in an earlier blog post. Facebook calls them ‘educational screens’ that give people more details on the same so that they make an ‘informed decision.’
This is another Facebook tactic to be able to continue tracking users. The social media giant had previously opposed the new iOS privacy feature by throwing light on its repercussions on small businesses and how Apple is aiming for profits by making apps go for subscription models and in-app paid services.
This new prompt is a reminder that ads are Facebook’s major source of revenue generation and if no data is collected for the same, you might have to pay (literally!)
iOS 14.5 app tracking transparency
For those who don’t know, iOS 14.5 introduces app tracking transparency that forces apps to show a prompt to users and ask for their permission for the iPhone’s Identifier for Advertisers for data sharing.
This feels like a relief for users who want to protect their privacy. But, can certainly cause trouble for various apps that rely on this very practice.
