Among the privacy changes is a request that will require app developers to obtain permission to a user’s advertising identifier (iDFA) which is essential for tracking. Before the update, the need to permission was not something a user had to initiate as it was previously available by default. This is something that Facebook opposes.
According to Heather Federman, who is VP of Privacy & Policy at BigID, this change will most probably impact small and medium sized businesses in a big way, given that many such companies use Facebook’s Audience Network.
Federman tells Digital Journal: “If there are minimal opt-ins then there is minimal data for ad targeting. While Facebook has commented that this will only cause a minimal impact to Facebook’s ROI, developers and small businesses primarily relying on the Audience Network could face major impacts to their revenue – potentially falling by more than 50 percent.”
It is important to note that the revenue figure, supplied by Facebook, is indicative of the amount of revenues associated with advertising. However, the figure does not indicate the amount of revenues caused by advertising.
Federman is critical over just how much influence Apple should have on privacy-related issues. She notes: “The real question here is if Apple, or any company for that matter, should have so much influence in privacy-related matters. Other stakeholders – like regulators and legislators – should have the largest say in the process but it’s clear that market forces currently dominate.”
With the specific proposal, Federman opines: “While Apple’s opt-in model can be considered pro-privacy and forward thinking, we have a situation where one company has decided for the rest of us exactly how our personal data can or should be used – without real input from other industry players, privacy advocates, the public and the government.”
The counter argument is that many users of social media will welcome the opportunity not to be bombarded with unwanted advertising and may be happy that their data is not being freely given to companies in the private sector without their consent. This is a complex issue, with arguments on both sides. What perhaps benefits the consumer most is something like Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation.
