2 min

Facebook posted full-page ads in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Washington Post, blasting Apple for its upcoming iOS 14 operating system. The ads carried the headline, “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere.”

The criticism is against Apple’s decision to protect user privacy and limit targeted advertising. Facebook gets most of its revenue from this invasive advertising model by following people across apps without asking for their permission.

Facebook claims to be standing up for small businesses without mentioning its revenue losses if this operating system goes through, which many have correctly termed it a disingenuous decision.

It’s all about permissions

The new OS will require developers to prompt users to give or deny permission before they can do any data tracking. Facebook is constantly decrying this move as unfair to small businesses, which rely on tracking to create customized ads.

The often-shady social media giant wants people to believe that Apple is doing this to be selfish, instead of to protect users.

Facebook, in a blog post, said that Apple is creating a policy that is about profit and not privacy. They claim that the trillion-dollar iPhone maker will force businesses to turn to subscriptions and in-app payments for revenue, forcing free services to charge or leave the market.

Giants at odds

In a different blog post, Facebook said that personal ads do not have to invade user privacy. It repeated that small businesses depend on these ads to grow since they require only a small budget. Personalization can be achieved without giving up privacy.

On the other hand, Apple said that OS’s changes wouldn’t stop Facebook from tracking users but ensure that users can choose whether they want to be tracked or not. The company said that it is concerned with the bundling and reselling of private user data.

Tip: ‘Google and Facebook struck an illegal advertising data deal’