Facebook is unhappy about the major data/privacy changes heading to iOS 14 early next year. So unhappy in fact, the social network has paid for a full-page ad complaining about it across three major newspapers.
As Bloomberg reports, the ad carries the headline, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere,” and appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal today. You can read it in full below, thanks to Twitter user Dave Stangis. The tactic used by Facebook is to position this fight as Apple vs. small businesses.
Facebook argues that “More than 10 million businesses use our advertising tools each month to find new customers, hire employees and engage with their communities,” and the ad signs off with a link to fb.com/SpeakUpForSmall where there’s more information about what’s changing and an opportunity to “Add Your Voice.”
The privacy changes heading to iOS mean users must give their permission before data is collected and tracking is allowed by apps, and it’s likely most won’t give it. While Facebook is taking the small business angle, what’s effectively being stated here is: Apple’s change messes with Facebook’s business model, to the point where it’s potentially broken if millions of iOS users don’t allow data collection and tracking. The counter argument to that being, iOS users gain back at least some of their privacy with this change.
Is it a “devastating” change for small businesses as Facebook suggests in the ad? Time will tell as it’s very unlikely Apple will change course. Expect iOS 14, iPadOS 14, and tvOS 14 users to start being asked for permission to share their data early in 2021.
