After a stringent iOS 14 update that gave users the ability to prohibit apps from retrieving and sharing their Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA) data, iOS users have noticed that Facebook and Instagram are displaying pop-ups asking for content to use their data and that – by giving consent – users would “help keep Facebook free of charge”.
The pop-up went viral after being pointed out by tech researcher Ashkan Soltani – who called it a “scare tactic” to get users to share their data so that Facebook and Instagram could use it to run personalized ads that would help support their respective businesses:
“This version of iOS requires us to ask for permission to track some data from these devices to improve your ads. Learn how we limit the use of this information if you don’t turn on this device setting. We use information about your activity received from other apps and websites to: show you ads that are more personalized, help keep Facebook free of charge [and] support businesses that rely on ads to reach their customers”.
And it begins. @Facebook / @Instagram explore additional scare tactics to combat @Apple iOS14 #ATT privacy changes.
“Help keep Facebook free of charge” pic.twitter.com/mOB9WJpz9A
— ashkan soltani (@ashk4n) April 30, 2021
Facebook has recently called out Apple’s latest update banning the collection of data for ads – which has affected many small businesses who depend on online ads to reach their target audience. Mark Zuckerberg also called Apple their ‘largest competitor’ and that their latest update was a move to interfere with the functionality of Facebook-owned apps:
“Apple has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do to preference their own. This impacts the growth of millions of businesses around the world, including with the upcoming iOS 14 changes. Apple may say they’re doing this to help people but the moves clearly track their competitor interests. We and others are going to be up against this for the foreseeable future.”