Facebook criticizes Apple’s privacy policy, says’ it limits companies’ ability to display personalized ads’ – Technology News, Firstpost

Facebook is pushing again for new Apple privacy rules for its mobile devices, this time saying in full-page newspaper ads that the social media giant is standing up for small businesses. In advertisements that came in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other national newspapers Wednesday, Facebook said Apple’s new rules “limit companies’ ability to display personalized ads and effectively reach their customers.” “While limiting the way personalized ads can be used will affect larger companies like us, these changes will be devastating for small businesses, adding to the many challenges they currently face,” the ad said.

Apple waved Facebook’s attacks aside, saying it won’t stop people from being tracked if they want to. The most significant change is that people will have to give their consent before Facebook and other apps can track their online activities.

    Facebook criticizes Apple's privacy policy and says it limits companies' ability to display personalized ads

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook

“We believe this is a simple matter of standing up for our users,” said Apple. “Users need to know when their data is being collected and shared with other apps and websites – and they should be able to choose whether or not to allow it.”

The ads come after Apple said earlier this week that it would begin to explain the types of personal information collected by the digital services displayed in the app stores for iPhones and other products of the trendsetting company.

Apple also has plans to impose a new mandate requiring all iPhone apps to be given permission before tracking a person’s activities on the device. That monitoring is done automatically by many apps right now and would force people to take the time and effort to block tracking in each app’s settings. Apple says it will drive apps from its stores if they try to bypass the new anti-tracking rule when it goes into effect next year.

In many cases, the data collected by apps is used to sell advertisements targeted to a particular person’s interest and location, especially if their services are offered for free.

Apple announced that the changes would take place six months ago as part of an effort to help its customers better understand how apps track their habits, tastes and whereabouts. At the time, Facebook complained that the changes would hurt companies’ ability to personalize ads.

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