Apple brought the ‘Following’ feature to iPhones and iPads with the iOS 14.5 update released in April. This feature, which was first introduced with iOS 14 as part of the WWDC 2020 event, was actually planned to be implemented earlier. However, Apple has given developers time to comply with its App Tracking Transparency policy.
Application Monitoring Transparency; It prevents the applications you have installed on your phone from tracking you through third-party services and websites. You can turn off the tracking permission of the application you want in the “Do Not Track” section placed in the Privacy settings on the phone. One of the most opposed to this feature was Facebook.
App Tracking Transparency lost close to $10 billion
According to a study by the Financial Times, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, which were affected by Apple’s privacy policy, lost $ 9.85 billion. These platforms earn a significant portion of their revenue from the ads they show to users on mobile.
The app you’ve revoked tracking permission from cannot use the IDFA (Apple Advertising ID) identifier on your iPhone and iPad. Developers need access to this identifier to track you and customize your ad data. However, the application you do not allow cannot access IDFA, they cannot show you special ads because they cannot access it.
The most affected company was Facebook
“Some of the most impacted platforms – Facebook in particular – have to build their infrastructure from the ground up due to App Track Transparency,” Adtech consultant Eric Seufert told the Financial Times. Claiming that this will take at least a year, Seufert said:
“New tools and frameworks need to be developed from the ground up and thoroughly tested before being released to users. I believe it will take at least a year to set up a new infrastructure. ”
The biggest reaction came from Facebook.
Following the implementation of Apple’s privacy feature, Facebook asked iOS users for help. The company, which derives most of its earnings from personal ads, asked iPhone owners for tracking permission. The social network, which used phrases such as “Help us keep Facebook free,” became the focus of backlash.
https://twitter. com/ashk4n/status/1388270878870310912
Facebook did not stop there, it also placed full-page advertisements in newspapers in the past months. Criticizing the tracking feature on iOS devices by saying, “We stand against Apple,” the company warned small businesses that advertising revenues would decrease.
Apple did not directly respond to Facebook’s campaign. But months before the announcement, he accused the social media company of “not giving importance to user privacy”.
Snapchat CEO also blamed Apple
Snap Inc, owner of Snapchat app, announced that it made $1.07 billion in revenue in the third quarter of 2021. The company had forecasted revenue of $1.1 billion in the third quarter. However, it turned out that this goal was not achieved. Snap Inc CEO Evan Spiegel targeted Apple.
“The new ‘ad tracking’ change that Apple rolled out widely for iOS in June and July has negatively impacted our business,” said Evan Spiegel.
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