BackFacebook urges iOS users to allow tracking online, claims it keeps apps free
Apple’s new update stops apps from tracking user activity on iPhones via cookies. Experts have said the feature could significantly affect Facebook’s business, which relies heavily on advertising through said cookies
PremiumNEW DELHI: Social media giant, Facebook, is telling users that allowing it to track users across the Internet helps keep its apps free. Users who have downloaded Apple’s newest software update — iOS 14.5 — reported getting notifications on the Facebook and Instagram apps about the same. The notification is part of the company’s campaign against the iPhone maker’s newest software update, which allows users to stop apps from tracking user activity across the Internet.
According to the notification, Facebook users “information about your activity" that it receives from other apps to deliver personalized ads, keep its platforms free of charge and “support businesses that rely on ads to reach customers". The last one is a claim that the company has made through front page advertisements in newspapers before, as part of its ongoing battle against the iPhone maker’s newest privacy feature, which could affect Facebook’s business dramatically.
The company had announced that it would be showing this notification last week, which is when Apple started rolling out the new update. “As Apple has said that providing additional content is allowed, we will show an educational screen before presenting Apple’s prompt to help people make an informed decision about how their information is used," the company said in a blog post on April 26.
Apple’s new update stops apps from tracking user activity on iPhones via cookies. Experts have said the feature could significantly affect Facebook’s business, which relies heavily on advertising through said cookies. The social media giant itself had acknowledged, in the past, that over 80% of users will choose to stop the Facebook and Instagram apps from tracking their activity across the Internet.
On the other hand, fellow advertising giant Google has said it will comply with Apple’s rules. The company said it was working on a new method for targeted advertising, which will not use cookies. Google has also been working to stop cookies from being used on websites, on its Chrome web browser.
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