Apple on Thursday slammed Facebook and others (read “Google”) for their user-tracking and ad-targeting practices in response to a letter questioning a decision by Apple to delay a new privacy feature.
Mark Gurman and Kurt Wagner for Bloomberg News:
The Cupertino, California-based technology company criticized Facebook’s approach to advertising and user tracking, according to a written reply sent to several human rights and privacy organizations, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Human Rights Watch:
By contrast, Facebook and others have a very different approach to targeting. Not only do they allow the grouping of users into smaller segments, they use detailed data about online browsing activity to target ads. Facebook executives have made clear their intent is to collect as much data as possible across both first and third party products to develop and monetize detailed profiles of their users, and this disregard for user privacy continues to expand to include more of their products.
Apple’s letter, reviewed by Bloomberg News, defended the company’s decision to delay an iPhone feature that requires users to give explicit permission before letting apps track them for advertising purposes.
MacDailyNews Take: According to the report, Jane Horvath, Apple’s global head of privacy, says the delay was to give developers more time and that Apple remains “fully committed” to the feature.
Of course, Facebook, Google, etc. are upset that they’ll soon be unable to track and target ads to the world’s most-desirable demographic without their explicit permission. Too bad.