Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, tweeted in response to Facebook’s claim that ad tracking in iOS 14 will be “devastating” for small businesses.
Following Facebook’s blog post and two newspaper ads claiming that Apple’s privacy capabilities will irrevocably damage the Internet, Tim Cook tweeted about Apple’s position.
We believe that users should have a choice about what information is collected about them and how it is used. Facebook can continue to track users across apps and websites like before, App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14 only requires them to ask for your permission first. pic.twitter.com/UnnAONZ61I
– Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 17, 2020
While Facebook’s public stance is that Apple’s upcoming iOS 14 privacy capability will be “devastating” to small businesses, it expects to lose revenue itself. Having previously estimated a 50% drop in ad revenue, it now predicts 60%.
Ad tracking is expected to come to iOS 14 in early 2021. It means that users are notified that an app wants to track their usage, and they want to accept or decline it.
Separately, Apple’s new privacy labels in the App Store are meant to tell users what their data will be used for before downloading an app.