Facebook recently launched an ad campaign to defend personalized advertising against Apple’s new privacy measures. The campaign, called “Good Ideas Deserve to Be Found,” touts targeted ads as a boon for small businesses. Here’s one of the ads, which I found amusing, if perhaps not exactly in the way that Facebook intended.
The ad push comes ahead of a change in Apple’s policies that could dramatically affect Facebook and other app makers’ ability to track iOS users for advertising purposes. Starting this spring, iPhone users will see a pop-up when they open an app that tracks them, giving them the option to opt out. Previously, that option was buried in settings panels that few users ever open; now, it will be unmissable.
Facebook and the makers of other data-hungry mobile apps are afraid that many people — perhaps even most people — will opt out. Hence the ad campaign, which comes after Facebook has already run full-page newspaper ads decrying the changes and has reportedly been eyeing an antitrust lawsuit.
Facebook’s desperation is understandable: Tracking iPhone users is a huge part of its business.
onezero.medium.com/facebook-is-betting-that-users-secretly-like-targeted-advertising-7b0627cb059e
Well, we’ll see, but opting in is always a bigger chore than being opted out by default.
Besides, Apple’s popup notification might just educate users who are still unaware of shabby and intrusive tracking practices.
h/t SG