Tim Cook responds to Facebook's attack ads with tweet about privacy

Apple's CEO Tim Cook has tweeted in response to Facebook's claims that forthcoming ad tracking in iOS 14 will be "devastating" for small businesses.

Following Facebook's blog post and two newspaper ads claiming Apple's privacy features will irrevocably damage the internet, Tim Cook has tweeted about Apple's position.

We believe users should have the choice over the data that is being collected about them and how it's used. Facebook can continue to track users across apps and websites as before, App Tracking Transparency in iOS 14 will just require that they ask for your permission first. pic.twitter.com/UnnAONZ61I
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) December 17, 2020

While Facebook's public position is that Apple's forthcoming iOS 14 privacy feature will be "devastating" for small business, it expects to lose revenue itself. Having previously estimated a 50% drop in ad revenue, it now predicts 60%.

Ad tracking is now expected to come to iOS 14 in early 2021. It will mean that users are notified that an app wants to track their use, and will ask them to accept or reject this.

Separately, Apple's new privacy labels in the App Store are meant to tell users what their data will be used for, before they download an app.

51 Comments

steps 11 comments · 12 Years

About 3 years ago

Thank you Tim

tedz98 80 comments · 6 Years

I love to see tech giants in a battle. Apple is trying to monetize privacy. Facebook is monetizing its users. Apple revenue comes from its customers. Facebook revenue comes from advertisers. You pay for free services with your data. At least now you will have the chance to decide if that is what you really want to do. By now Facebook and Google know a lot about their users. Though that data will get stale over time. I wonder how many Facebook users would actually pay for an ad-free subscription?

DoomFreak 19 comments · 6 Years

tedz98 said:

I love to see tech giants in a battle. Apple is trying to monetize privacy. Facebook is monetizing its users. Apple revenue comes from its customers. Facebook revenue comes from advertisers. You pay for free services with your data. At least now you will have the chance to decide if that is what you really want to do. By now Facebook and Google know a lot about their users. Though that data will get stale over time. I wonder how many Facebook users would actually pay for an ad-free subscription?

Well said. I, for one, am willing to pay a premium for privacy by buying Apple products. So far, Apple's monetizing has worked well for its customers. I would never pay for Facebook, however. I think people in my son's generation don't even really use it at all. It could fade into obscurity for all I care.

22july2013 3725 comments · 11 Years

tedz98 said:

I love to see tech giants in a battle. Apple is trying to monetize privacy. Facebook is monetizing its users. Apple revenue comes from its customers. Facebook revenue comes from advertisers. You pay for free services with your data. At least now you will have the chance to decide if that is what you really want to do. By now Facebook and Google know a lot about their users. Though that data will get stale over time. I wonder how many Facebook users would actually pay for an ad-free subscription?

Interesting comment. But I would rather have ads than lose my rights to privacy about my life's details. Perhaps I would be willing to pay Facebook money if they could guarantee that they would never create a file on me. In fact, they may have a file about me even though I've never used Facebook (because other people may have written about me on the Internet, including things like governmental lists of driver's licenses which can be found on the Internet.) I'd pay FaceBook to get rid of my file even though I'm not using FaceBook. But I shouldn't HAVE to pay them to delete information about me. Rather, I should have to opt-in before FaceBook can record details about me.

Curiously, there is an organization in the US, which I won't name, that collects information about everyone on earth for reasons that are important to them, but not to me. They mask their efforts by trying to convince you that they are helping you determine your ancestry. But really, they are helping themselves. I guess to be consistent I should also say that they shouldn't be allowed to record details about me unless I opt-in first. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how hard it is to implement an opt-in procedure.

EsquireCats 1268 comments · 8 Years

Apple is trying to monetize privacy.
"Monetize privacy" is an exaggerated metaphor at best. Meanwhile, without hyperbole, Facebook makes almost all of its money by exploiting your privacy - whether or not you have a Facebook profile.

Apple could do little to nothing about the privacy issue and they would be on par with every other tech giant and PC manufacturer. Apple's privacy efforts are out of scale with any meaningful impact to their bottom line. Eventually you have to give credit where it is due, Apple's privacy advocacy is part of their ethics.