Apple versus Facebook is good for our privacy

Apple is taking an important step in promoting our privacy. Facebook disagrees. It’s Apple vs Facebook about our privacy.

Apple vs. Facebook: Our Privacy

As soon as Facebook gets angry about something, there is a good chance that it is a positive development for us as users. In this case, Apple is rolling out a new privacy feature to iOS users this spring. With this feature, app makers must ask for permission to use trackers.

These trackers keep track of which websites you visit and which apps you open. Facebook uses this technology to create a profile of you in order to serve better personalized ads.

Facebook now wants to go to court because Apple would abuse its power in the smartphone market. It is not yet certain whether this lawsuit will actually take place, but it is clear that Facebook is angry.

Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg criticizes that Apple is implementing this feature primarily for business reasons and not because the company wants to protect the privacy of its users. In this way, Apple would thwart apps to improve its own position.

Opposite CNBC Zuckerberg states that Facebook has no option but to agree, because otherwise the app will be pulled from the App Store. The CEO denounces Apple’s monopoly position.

That is a striking response from a company that itself abuses its monopoly position time and again to the detriment of its users. Facebook has grown. So great that criticizing the way in which the company deals with its users and their data often has no effect. Many users and businesses are trapped in the Facebook ecosystem and have to come along.

Monopoly

Apple and Facebook both play monopoly. Because of its position, Apple can indeed set rules that everyone must adhere to and that is by no means always positive. For example, consider that you can no longer download Fortnite from the App Store, because creator Epic Games does not agree with the rule that Apple gets thirty percent of all revenue through the App Store.

In the case of the trackers, Apple uses its weight to do something right. The real reason behind this remains guesswork indeed. Perhaps Zuckerberg is right that Apple is mainly doing it to improve its position towards others. But what Zuckerberg ignores is that Apple has a long history of commitment to protecting the privacy of its users. Unlike Google and Facebook, for example, Apple does not use the data from all its apps to serve up advertisements. That data remains yours.

Giving users control over trackers fits with that vision of Apple. Surely we can decide for ourselves whether a company follows our behavior on our expensive smartphone? We have come to think it is quite normal for an ad to pop up on Facebook about something we searched for on Google, but that is of course not at all normal.

Sympathy

Ultimately, this new privacy feature is a business decision by Apple anyway. A new iPhone is a significant investment, but many people make this investment because their privacy is important. Giving users control over trackers is an additional reason for consumers to choose a new iPhone.

Facebook, meanwhile, is trying to win sympathy by focusing on small businesses that are already struggling during the corona crisis. The change would prevent these companies from using their advertising budgets efficiently. It sounds harsh, but that’s not the users problem. That’s a problem with how Facebook is set up and how businesses are made dependent on our data. Time to change that.

More about Apple and your privacy

Apple has recently made several additions to iOS to improve your privacy. For example, privacy functions have been added in iOS 14. Also read our tips for more privacy and security on your iPhone.