In early 2021 a battle between two tech Giants Apple and Facebook erupted over privacy terms and data collection. These two companies have taken different routes when it comes to privacy and what choice to give their users.
Apple has launched a software update that will force apps within the Apple Store to ask for permission to share user data with data brokers and other networks. These data brokers and networks use your personal information for ad personalization and response to those ads.
This is the reason we see ads on social media of products that we just googled or shared on different platforms.
The CEO Facebook Mark Zuckerberg criticized and publicly stated his opinions about Apple’s new update. He believes that this update to Apple products is a direct attack toward Facebook and how Facebook operates.
Facebook’s main revenue stream comes from targeted advertisements and this new update on apple products can hurt Facebook’s way of operating those personalized ads thus hurting their revenue.
I think Apple has the right to do such updates as the people using these products will have the choice to allow data collection from Facebook. Personally, I believe social media collects too much of our personal data. Everything we google or look up on the internet now has an impact on the ads we will see.
Also, the way we respond to those ads also affects the way social media platforms advertise to us. These ads are overwhelming and sometimes intrusive. Advertisement should be more general and not so targeted to certain individuals or demographics.
Apple has created a reputation where its users can trust the company with privacy settings and data usage. This decision from Apple only shows the direction they have been taking as a company and part of their identity for the past few years now.
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO states that this is not a direct attack towards Facebook, but a company belief that “users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it’s used.” This dispute between these two tech giants shows the rivalry between the two and how these different opinions can impact one company or the other.
Bernard Marr from Forbes.com states, “In the long run, I believe the companies that are more transparent with their users and take a stand to protect data privacy will be the ones who succeed – but only time will tell.”
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