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Last Thursday, Apple announced that they would delay a privacy policy change until early 2021. The impact of the new privacy policy could reduce ad sales by Facebook and other companies that target users on iPads and iPhones.

This delay will benefit Facebook, which announced last week that the change to the iOS 14 operating system, would make one of their mobile advertising tools so ineffective that it would be meaningless to offer it.

Apple had announced the new privacy policy was coming, back in June. They were scheduled to be released this fall in the iOS 14 operating system.

Advertisers will have to ask for permission to track you

Among the changes, is a requirement that advertisers who use an Apple-provided tracking identifier or other tools with similar uses, must show a pop-up notification that asks users for tracking permissions. Facebook, this past week, said that they would stop using the tool that requires a prompt in its own apps.

However, they did not respond for a comment when the delay was announced on Thursday.

Apple said that developers will still have the option to use the prompt when iOS 14 is released. In a statement they put out, Apple said that when the system prompt is enabled, users will have the ability to allow or reject tracking on an app-by-app basis.

The new age of privacy is here

Digital advertising firms will have space in the notification, to tell users why they want tracking permissions. However, most firms know that users will decline to grant permission. Apple said that they not begin enforcing this prompt until early 2021.

Other privacy features that iOS 14 is bringing to the table include new notifications that will show which apps have accessed the microphone or GPS location and other sensitive personal information.

Apple is shifting digital advertising firms to use a system the company created, that does not have detailed information about individuals.