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Apple Defends Delay of Privacy Feature, Slams Facebook (bloomberg.com) 22

Apple has slammed Facebook and other internet giants for their ad-targeting practices in response to a letter questioning a decision by the iPhone maker to delay a new privacy feature. From a report: The Cupertino, California-based technology company criticized Facebook's approach to advertising and user tracking, according to a written reply sent to several human rights and privacy organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Human Rights Watch: "By contrast, Facebook and others have a very different approach to targeting. Not only do they allow the grouping of users into smaller segments, they use detailed data about online browsing activity to target ads. Facebook executives have made clear their intent is to collect as much data as possible across both first and third party products to develop and monetize detailed profiles of their users, and this disregard for user privacy continues to expand to include more of their products."

Apple's letter, reviewed by Bloomberg News, defended the company's decision to delay an iPhone feature that requires users to give explicit permission before letting apps track them for advertising purposes. The enhancement was added as part of the company's iOS 14 operating system in September, but a requirement that all apps use it was delayed until early 2021 after several developers, including Facebook, said the change would hurt their businesses. The human rights and privacy organizations criticized the delay in a letter earlier this year to Apple.

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Apple Defends Delay of Privacy Feature, Slams Facebook

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  • Look over there, and ignore us ignoring you!

    Yes, Facebook is a problem, but what does that have to do with this?

    • They cant just pull the plug. Well they could but the legal entanglements would be expensive, even if ultimately Apple was within their rights. You would likely see injunctions filed similar to the way injunctions were filed against major ISPs thst tried to pull out of certain markets. They were forced to provide services for 6mos despite hemorrhaging cash. This was in the 2006-2012 era. If Apple gives them 6 months to re-tool their applications, then they wont have to spend a pool of cash fighting a tempor

      • They cant just pull the plug.

        They announced that they would do it well ahead of time, and the agreements give them the rights to make changes, probably without notice.

        You would likely see injunctions filed similar to the way injunctions were filed against major ISPs thst tried to pull out of certain markets.

        There's no reason Facebook wouldn't file for same later, as opposed to now. Why not rip off the bandage?

        • by e3m4n ( 947977 ) on Friday November 20, 2020 @09:50AM (#60746560)

          If you show you were more than generous then a judge is less likely to sympathize and grant an injunction. Facebook would have fewer plays. Sometimes lawsuits are like a game of blackjack. Its not always about verdict as it is financial damages not only in legal fees but investor confidence as well.

    • Yes, Facebook is a problem, but what does that have to do with this?

      Because the delay in the deployment of this feature was literally caused by Facebook's high pitched whining about them not being able to monitor the movements of every user, ferret out every intimate detail of the user's private lives and selling that data to the highest bidder?

      • Because the delay in the deployment of this feature was literally caused by Facebook's high pitched whining about them not being able to monitor the movements of every user, ferret out every intimate detail of the user's private lives and selling that data to the highest bidder?

        And how does that have anything to do with Apple rolling out a privacy-increasing feature on Apple devices?

        Perhaps because Apple really does care about Facebook dollars more than it allegedly cares about the privacy of its users?

        I wonder...

        • by Arkham ( 10779 ) on Friday November 20, 2020 @10:30AM (#60746726)

          Apple didn't care if Epic lost its games on iOS, but if Facebook pulled out of the iOS market it would really hurt Apple. It's in Apple's interest as a business to keep Facebook on the platform. People forget sometimes that Apple is a business.

          I also find it curious that EFF and others are criticizing Apple for delaying a feature that will never be available on Android (because it would hurt Google's advertising business).

          • People forget sometimes that Apple is a business.

            Strangely, those people generally tend to be the ones who laud Apple for its so-called protection of user privacy.

            I also find it curious that EFF and others are criticizing Apple for delaying a feature that will never be available on Android (because it would hurt Google's advertising business).

            Apple has built up a large fanbase by claiming to be privacy-focused. If you're going to make that claim, you better be damn well ready to back it up. And if you announce a privacy-enhancing feature, then don't deliver it because, apparently, it enhances privacy too much for advertisers' liking, you end up looking like a hypocrite. Hypocrisy should be called out wherever it arises.

          • Apple didn't care if Epic lost its games on iOS, but if Facebook pulled out of the iOS market it would really hurt Apple. It's in Apple's interest as a business to keep Facebook on the platform. People forget sometimes that Apple is a business.

            I also find it curious that EFF and others are criticizing Apple for delaying a feature that will never be available on Android (because it would hurt Google's advertising business).

            Facebook pulled out of the iOS market? What, pulled their horrid Facebook App? You can still use the web interface if you want to 'Facebook' with your friends. Other than that Facebook is a parasite on iOS and everybody who uses it since Facebook's entire business model is spying on people and selling the data. From Apple's point of view the only thing that reducing Facebook's unrestricted access to spying on Apple's users will do is make Apple's users happy. Now let's see Google do the same thing for Andro

            • by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

              The problem is, a lot of people do LIKE using Facebook. Hard to imagine, but it is. Perhaps put another way, a lot of people like Apple products, despite what the Apple haters on this site say.

              They want this stuff.

              Facebook has an out-sized influence on this - they can rally this rather large population of people to demand Apple keep the tracking in, because they are Facebook, and a horde of angry users bashing at the glass of Spaceship Campus the next day.

          • by DRJlaw ( 946416 )

            if Facebook pulled out of the iOS market it would really hurt Apple.

            This concerns Facebook's advertising business on and across third party websites. You're also dreaming if you think that pulling the Facebook app from iOS wouldn't hurt Facebook worse than it hurts Apple. Their Apple-device-using user base tends to be one of the more valuable ones in Facebook's vast data-mining portfolio.

            But let's see it happen. The antitrust lawsuit over tying between the application and web advertising services by a D

        • by Freischutz ( 4776131 ) on Friday November 20, 2020 @11:45AM (#60747110)

          Because the delay in the deployment of this feature was literally caused by Facebook's high pitched whining about them not being able to monitor the movements of every user, ferret out every intimate detail of the user's private lives and selling that data to the highest bidder?

          And how does that have anything to do with Apple rolling out a privacy-increasing feature on Apple devices?

          Perhaps because Apple really does care about Facebook dollars more than it allegedly cares about the privacy of its users?

          I wonder...

          I think the fact that Apple spent money on implementing this feature proves you wrong. The delay is probably just to assess the possible legal and financial liabilities of being sued by Facebook and hundreds of thousands of app developers who feel entitled to track you, harvest data about your private life without your consent and then sell that data to all and sundry. It is bad enough that Facebook already has tracking mechanisms built into practically every web page on the internet. Facebook is most definitely not entitled to scrape my PCs and mobile devices for data as well. Personally I'm not crying any rivers over Facebook and hundreds of thousands of other app developers being significantly less able to track every move I make and monetise my private life without my consent. Consumers and app developers being forced to choose between (a) buying/selling an app and having/selling privacy with it or (b) getting an app for free, being tracked, spied upon and having their private life sold to the highest bidder suits me just fine. I for one will always select option (a). As far as I am concerned Apple cannot roll this feature out soon enough and to hell with Facebook and the rest of that deplorable ilk.

  • by andymadigan ( 792996 ) <amadigan&gmail,com> on Friday November 20, 2020 @01:35PM (#60747550)
    I wish Apple hadn't delayed this feature. I'm really looking forward to it killing a lot of bad business models.

    However, it's worth pointing out that if you're really concerned, you can disable this kind of tracking on iOS already, on iOS 14 go to Settings > Privacy > Tracking and disable "Allow Apps to Request to Track".

    The big change that was delayed until next year is forcing any app that wants to do this to go through an opt-in permission prompt.

    I think the harm done by Apple in waiting to roll out the feature is minimal. In six months, it'll be out, and the companies relying on this tracking will have to find a new scam, like selling fake COVID-19 vaccines.
  • and trying to convince you which side is the healthier choice.

Promising costs nothing, it's the delivering that kills you.

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