Apple Criticizes Facebook’s Intrusive Strategy of Targeting Users

Senior director of global privacy at Apple Jane Horvath has criticized Facebook in a letter she wrote to privacy groups for their recently implemented features that aim to “collect as much data as possible” from users.

Jane Horvath is a known advocate for the transparent and privacy-oriented brand image that drives Apple, such as when Apple made an appearance (following a brief disappearance the year before) at CES and defended the company’s use of encryption.

What is Apple’s solution to counter unfair data collection?

Jane Horvath stated, in a letter to the Ranking Digital Rights organization that Facebook will be aiming to monetize user profiles, going along with a new privacy feature that has caused advertising companies to object. Apple’s App Tracking Transparency will be requiring users to allow developers to track the usage of apps they use.

More details on ATT

Apple’s ‘App Tracking Transparency’ feature ‘requests user authorization to access app-related data for tracking the user or the device’. Horvath added that they will delay the release of ATT to allow developers time to study their data practices and to consolidate their ‘expansive approach to privacy protections’.

Facebook’s Reply to The Issue

Facebook reached out to Bloomberg and stated; “They are using their dominant market position to self-preference their own data collection while making it nearly impossible for their competitors to use the same data. They claim it’s about privacy, but it’s about profit”.

Horvath added; “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..”.

This past August, Facebook had stated that they were making changes to their apps with regards to data-tracking to be more user-friendly and that Apple was disregarding smaller developers while protecting its own apps.

Prioritizing Consent And Different Approaches to Targeting

During the back-and-forth discussion between Apple and Facebook, Apple said they target differently. Facebook said this policy when implemented will make it difficult for businesses that thrive on advertising.

Privacy, honesty, and transparency are key for the unhindered and free use of the internet. Canada, among others, is exemplary in its practice in that the nation is actively implementing and updating privacy laws to prioritize the consent of individuals.