The strategy that Facebook has followed since it was announced that Apple would introduce in iOS a feature that would allow users that applications do not track their activity, Mark Zuckerberg’s company has done everything in its power, to make Apple change its mind, something that, as expected, has not been achieved.
Facebook invites users to enable tracking
Having failed to get Apple to change its position, Facebook has changed its public message encouraging users to activate data tracking in iOS 14.5, as this will allow the company to continue offering the application completely free of charge.
Facebook invites us to allow tracking of our activity through the application for the following reasons:
- Show you more personalized ads.
- To help keep Instagram/Facebook free.
- To support businesses that rely on ads to reach their customers.
These messages, which Facebook calls educational displays, will be shown to users immediately before the App Tracking Transparency notice.
To help people make a more informed decision, we are also displaying a screen of our own, along with Apple’s screen. It provides more information about how we use personalized ads, which support small businesses and keep apps free. If you accept the Facebook and Instagram prompts, the ads you see in those apps won’t change. If you do not accept, you will still see ads, but they will be less relevant to you. Accepting these prompts does not mean that Facebook collects new types of data. It just means we can continue to offer people better experiences.
Most striking of all is the second point, in which they claim that agreeing to track, allows both services, they remain free. There is no evidence that both platforms have at any time contemplated establishing a fee for their use, as it would likely cause a defection of users to other platforms.
Apple’s guidelines prohibit apps from offering any kind of incentive to users to activate data tracking. Facebook states that it is an informative message, however, many users may see it as a must if they want to continue using this platform for free.
These messages will begin to be displayed on both Facebook and Instagram in the coming days/weeks.
