Facebook fears loss of advertising due to iOS 14
Social media giant Facebook fears Apple's iOS 14 update will halve its advertising revenue and also that of app developers who use its ad tracking tools.
The update includes several privacy features that make it harder for companies to track consumers online with personalized ads without their consent.
Explicitly ask for permission
App developers use the so-called "Audience Network" on Facebook, which allows them to show targeted personalized advertising based on user data from the platform. Apple devices make this information available to Facebook and its advertising partners by means of an "Identifier for Advertisers" (IDFA). With iOS 14, however, each individual app user must explicitly ask for permission for this data exchange. If users do not agree, app developers will not be able to do any ad tracking.
According to Facebook, these new privacy features will cause many users to ban tracking, which is especially a disadvantage for small businesses that rely on advertising revenue. "The update will hurt many of our developers at what is already a very difficult time," the group warns.
Advertising revenues halved
For the time being, Facebook no longer wants to take advantage of Apple's IDFA information. The company estimates that advertising revenue from apps could drop by more than half. Therefore, using the Audience Network on Apple devices might not pay off in the future. (pte)
