Hey faithful readers, welcome back! This go-round I'll be investigating how Apple's privacy policy has impacted Facebook Analytics processes. Revolution doesn't quite have enough likes to generate a report, (image above) so I don't have info from my business page to include here.
This assignment hits home to me, mainly because it inadvertently addresses my biggest hesitation for creating Make 'em Pay. The crux of my concern is that only a beast can rival a beast - that is, only Apple could take on Meta. If little ol' me took on consumer privacy the way that Apple did, I'd probably be in jail for something that's not illegal. Yes I'm scared, and rightfully so, the world is not fair, and the law mainly protects the wealth and power of the wealthy and powerful.
So I'll start by addressing the point that the Bloomberg article brings up, which is that consumers only choose to allow tracking 25% of the time. To me this screams that consumers didn't know they were being tracked, and given the choice, they would refuse. Basically, advertisers have been making money off of taking things (our personal likes, preferences, and data) that they don't have an explicit right to take. I think they should take the win and move on. They got something they shouldn't have had, and now it's over - for Apple users.
Greed shouldn't be underestimated. Several articles report an estimated $10 billion dollar loss of Facebook marketing revenue. But who doesn't see the obvious truth of this? If you haven't made the money yet, you didn't lose it. You lost a wish, or a prediction of income, but not actual income. The dream isn't real unless it happens. What happened is their shady stint got stopped.
What should Meta do instead? Ask us for our data and remunerate us for the information that we give them that in turn makes them a better option for advertisers. They could still very easily make a profit. I am okay with Meta tracking what I do inside of Facebook, because I am aware of being observed and intentional about everything I do there. I get to use the site for free, they can see what I like and post. But to track me across websites - nuh, bruh. (Please see my blog Week 13 Part A, second-to-last entry about how to stop cross-site web tracking.)
"Apple’s policy prohibits certain data collection and sharing unless people opt into tracking on iOS 14.5 or later devices via the prompt. As a result, ads personalization and performance reporting may be limited..." (Meta, n.d.) This article was carefully worded to be legally vague and non-accusatory. Rather, it took a sensible approach to how business page owners could start to work more seamlessly with Apple's SKAdNetwork - which in itself must have been like sand in Meta's craw. Forbes described this as causing "suffering" for Meta, but really, to suffer is human, not enterprise-level.
A very important take away is this, and I've mentioned it before: there are no "Strictly Necessary Cookies." Claiming that any cookie is necessary is a blatant lie - sign on to a VPN server in the EU, and you get the "Reject All" option. Guess what? All the websites and apps still work! "App Tracking Transparency allows you to choose whether an app can track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing with data brokers." (Kumar, 2022)
Not for functionality, as is claimed, but for the sale of your information.
Thanks again for joining my journey of discovery, readers! It's always fun to have you drop in! Below I've listed all the pages I looked at while completing this assignment, in case you would like to do further research.
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Bibliography
Conger, K., & Chen, B. X. (2022, February 3). A Change by Apple Is Tormenting Internet Companies, Especially Meta. Retrieved from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/03/technology/apple-privacy-changes-meta.html
Kafka, P. (2022, February 14). Apple broke Facebook’s ad machine. Who’s going to fix it? Retrieved from Vox: https://www.vox.com/recode/22929715/facebook-apple-ads-meta-privacy
Kumar, R. (2022, February 3). Explained: Apple's privacy feature and why it's costing Facebook billions of dollars. Retrieved from The Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/explained-apples-privacy-feature-and-why-its-costing-facebook-billions-of-dollars/articleshow/89315892.cms
Leswing, K. (2022, February 2). Facebook says Apple iOS privacy change will result in $10 billion revenue hit this year. Retrieved from CNBC: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/02/02/facebook-says-apple-ios-privacy-change-will-cost-10-billion-this-year.html
Meta. (n.d.). How the Apple iOS 14 Release May Affect Your Ads and Reporting. Retrieved from Meta | Meta Business Help Center: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/331612538028890?id=428636648170202
O'Flaherty, K. (2021, October 30). Facebook Adjusts Ad Measurement As Apple’s Privacy Features Hit. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/kateoflahertyuk/2021/10/30/apples-stunning-new-strike-to-facebook-is-a-mind-blowing-success/?sh=212a97fbff93
Wagner, K. (2021, July 14). Facebook Users Said No to Tracking. Now Advertisers are Panicking. Retrieved from Bloomberg: US Edition: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-14/facebook-fb-advertisers-impacted-by-apple-aapl-privacy-ios-14-changes
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