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Facebook and Instagram Ask Users to Enable App Tracking in Order to Keep Services 'Free of Charge'
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Facebook ads are already bad. The most common ads and marketplace suggestions I see are for:
- women's apparel (I am a man, hetero and cis, and Facebook should know this - maybe they're suggesting this for a present, but why I don't see men's apparel? don't I need clothes?)
- boat parts and services (I don't own any or I never shown interest in them)
- musical instruments (maybe because I bought a MIDI cable for my vintage PCs a couple years ago?)
- car and home services from other cities, or countries, in languages I can't even recognize, including some in non-Latin alphabets (Facebook should know where I live and which languages I speak)
- cars and furniture (this is ok, but weren't we talking about targeting? and what about, you know, everything else?)
- computer parts and Lego (finally some of these promised targeted ads - but how much of the same thing do you think I can buy?)
As a result, I almost never open any ad. Frankly, I don't think the situation will get any better if I turn tracking off.
- women's apparel (I am a man, hetero and cis, and Facebook should know this - maybe they're suggesting this for a present, but why I don't see men's apparel? don't I need clothes?)
- boat parts and services (I don't own any or I never shown interest in them)
- musical instruments (maybe because I bought a MIDI cable for my vintage PCs a couple years ago?)
- car and home services from other cities, or countries, in languages I can't even recognize, including some in non-Latin alphabets (Facebook should know where I live and which languages I speak)
- cars and furniture (this is ok, but weren't we talking about targeting? and what about, you know, everything else?)
- computer parts and Lego (finally some of these promised targeted ads - but how much of the same thing do you think I can buy?)
As a result, I almost never open any ad. Frankly, I don't think the situation will get any better if I turn tracking off.
Devils advocate.
if none of you use Facebook. Why do you care so much?
people will decide it’s fate if they start to charge. I guess I don’t let things that don’t affect me at all bother me.
I don’t have a FB account or any other social media accounts. I may have a Twitter account but haven’t looked at it or logged in for years
if none of you use Facebook. Why do you care so much?
people will decide it’s fate if they start to charge. I guess I don’t let things that don’t affect me at all bother me.
I don’t have a FB account or any other social media accounts. I may have a Twitter account but haven’t looked at it or logged in for years
Because Facebook is a completely toxic place that exists to compile as much data on people as humanly possible (including non-users) in order to aggregate profiles to sell to advertisers. They leak personal info like a civ and are a constant source of misinformation from all ends of the political spectrum. Social media has been designed to keep people engaged and in doing so has a pull of significant influence over its user base.
Why do people who don’t use it care about this? Because it would literally make the world a better place is the short answer.
Wow, it's amazing how much hate there is for FB, while no hate for Apple, as they're some kind of saints. Lol.
Many don't understand how software/apps work, and how you monetize them. So in order for something to run, you have to pay for stuff (servers, computers, electricity...) and of course people who work for you (workforce).
One option is a user pays for it, e.g. subscriptions or one-time purchase. While the other one is, you let the user use the app for free, while using their "time", or better attention, to show them ads. Why? So the owner of the ad (marketer), pays the publisher (Facebook) for showing the ad to the user.
Okay, but why do they need data for this? Simple, they need data so they know what you're interested in and which ads to show you. If you like basketball, you probably don't care about Marcel Hirschers's latest Atomic skies. And there lies the power of data. Data enables personalized ads, which lower the costs of advertising for the marketer. For example, it's much cheaper if a small male shoe company can target only male audience who is interested in shoes, as opposed to targeting a broader audience. You see, FB loses ad revenue only if marketers stop advertising on their platform, which they will because the costs of it will go up, and they won't be able to afford it, and will have to search for alternatives and at worst go bust. And why will the costs go up you ask? Because advertisers will have much higher CPA's (cost per acquisition). Again a male shoe company now converts 10% of targeted users, while after the loss of data and ad personalization they'll convert only 5% or less, which roughly translates to 100% increase in costs to acquire customers, and that's beyond their budget capabilities.
But fine let's see what happens, I just think people don't understand how things will be affected, and that Apple isn't doing this for privacy reasons (smh), they just want more money, and nick it from FB and Google. Yes FB is without doubt one of the shadiest companies there is, but Apple isn't lacking either. Do you guys realize, that Apple has a sperate tracking for themselves? And that they will use the data they collect for, guess what, PERSONALIZED ADS! Just a week ago they've introduced a new placement for ads in the app store.
Many don't understand how software/apps work, and how you monetize them. So in order for something to run, you have to pay for stuff (servers, computers, electricity...) and of course people who work for you (workforce).
One option is a user pays for it, e.g. subscriptions or one-time purchase. While the other one is, you let the user use the app for free, while using their "time", or better attention, to show them ads. Why? So the owner of the ad (marketer), pays the publisher (Facebook) for showing the ad to the user.
Okay, but why do they need data for this? Simple, they need data so they know what you're interested in and which ads to show you. If you like basketball, you probably don't care about Marcel Hirschers's latest Atomic skies. And there lies the power of data. Data enables personalized ads, which lower the costs of advertising for the marketer. For example, it's much cheaper if a small male shoe company can target only male audience who is interested in shoes, as opposed to targeting a broader audience. You see, FB loses ad revenue only if marketers stop advertising on their platform, which they will because the costs of it will go up, and they won't be able to afford it, and will have to search for alternatives and at worst go bust. And why will the costs go up you ask? Because advertisers will have much higher CPA's (cost per acquisition). Again a male shoe company now converts 10% of targeted users, while after the loss of data and ad personalization they'll convert only 5% or less, which roughly translates to 100% increase in costs to acquire customers, and that's beyond their budget capabilities.
But fine let's see what happens, I just think people don't understand how things will be affected, and that Apple isn't doing this for privacy reasons (smh), they just want more money, and nick it from FB and Google. Yes FB is without doubt one of the shadiest companies there is, but Apple isn't lacking either. Do you guys realize, that Apple has a sperate tracking for themselves? And that they will use the data they collect for, guess what, PERSONALIZED ADS! Just a week ago they've introduced a new placement for ads in the app store.
According to research personalized ads are clicked twice as often as non-personalized. Not to use personalization takes away half of the profit for the site, which makes it difficult to offer the service without charging a fee.
Even if you don't use FB they still collect data on you & share it with other advertisers. When their system takes in data (ie when your friend gives access to their address book with your email, phone #, etc) then FB builds profiles for EVERYONE in the data, even if they don't have FB accounts. They do this so that they're 'ready' if you ever sign up & they can populate the 'people i may know'. FB then shares this data with other advertisers so they can build more complete profiles about you. That's why you should care.
I care insofar that the web and many apps continue to flood me with all manner of trackers. Which is why I feel Apple isn’t going far enough to clamp down on this, but perhaps they are afraid of attracting any more antitrust attention than they already are.
In the meantime, 1Blocker and lockdown continue to pull double duty in blocking as many trackers and ads as they can.
Most forums are toxic too. You just ignore the bs and move on. Feelings. Lol
Please start charging for Facebook & Instagram — and let's see what happens.
I care insofar that the web and many apps continue to flood me with all manner of trackers. Which is why I feel Apple isn’t going far enough to clamp down on this, but perhaps they are afraid of attracting any more antitrust attention than they already are.
In the meantime, 1Blocker and lockdown continue to pull double duty in blocking as many trackers and ads as they can.
Exactly. Block them and forget About them. Easy peasy.
Long standing rule: I never ever klick on any ad.
In the few cases that something interests me (like once a year at best) I lock it up in a new browser tab.
So any site hoping for click-through revenue is at a loss.
That’s a bit silly and just asking for a lawsuit, which is something Apple doesn’t need right now.
The issue is not with personalised ads. As always, people have misused a technology to create something far worse. Data tracking nowadays collects far more data about their users so they can create detailed user profiles, and sell those to other companies. This is not only an invasion of privacy, it's potentially very dangerous as well.
And if you think this is all an overreaction, then ask yourself the question why companies have kept silent about it for so long and why they're trying to hide it? It's only now that they have been called out by Apple, they're being vocal about what they're collecting and why. But I'm sure it's only the tip of the iceberg.
$10? Without losing a significant amount that would leave the platform?
aI highly doubt that.
If Facebook's primary issue was jerk wad users then we'd be all set.
Sadly though, the problem is top down.
Note that to turn Apple's advertising tracking off it isn't in that "Privacy > Tracking" section. It's hidden at the bottom of Privacy.
Apple talk a good game but couldn't resist hiding their own tracking rather than bundling it in with everyone else's.
Says a lot.
Apple talk a good game but couldn't resist hiding their own tracking rather than bundling it in with everyone else's.
Says a lot.
But thats not how it works. These companies know no one clicks on ads. That’s why the trackers exist. The trackers know it showed you an ad and your cookies will show you opened a related site. They then get revenue as it shows that the ad worked. Some people take days for it to sink in so they have to find a way of keeping track of what you do after. Hence the trackers.
Netflix captures user patterns and preferences for the content they sell. If they have a large group of users who like mystery movies, they make a mystery movie. I can see how this might benefit me. Is there any evidence that they gather anything other than what I watch? Any evidence they sell the data directly linked to me? Have they ever given away my phone number? I don't think they even have my phone number since they just don't need it.