Facebook Preparing Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple for 'Unfair' Approach to Privacy and Default Apps

[centauratlas]

This gives Facebook a few years to keep doing business as usual, with all of the legal action.

Apple will be forbidden from enforcing their tracking restrictions until all this is settled, and....with the amount of appeals a deep pocketed corporation such as Facebook has...it might take a while.

Only if FB gets an injunction which seems unlikely to happen. If Apple releases the update beforehand, it would make that much less likely to have them undo it - not that I think that an injunction is likely anyway, but it would make it even less likely.

The sooner Apple releases the 14.5 public beta which seems likely to be the release that includes this, the better so that it is out there. I was hoping the first beta dev release would be out this week.

 

[centauratlas]

Because they have no idea of what goes one behind the screen.

Everyone should watch The Social Dilemma prior to using FB.

If even 10% of it is true (and I think it is closer to 99% or 100%) it is devastating.

 

[bb9]

Like someone already said, I want to see all the details fro the discovery hearing, from all sides and from all participants.

 

[Stevez67]

" ... And this impacts the growth of my business and personal fortune because I want to get my raw materials (user data) for free."

Fixed that for ya Zuck.

 

[MauiPa]

Facebook does not seem to be telling the truth, what a surprise. Maybe Zuckie should sell people the Facebook phone (didn't he try that? Was it a success?) How bout is spy cam device in your house, the one you could use to contact your friends like a video phone? I guess that was successful, as I haven't herd anything about that for awhile. did he open that up to google and apple and third party services? Just checking.

If someone is lying to you about something, their fundamental interests are not in your well-being, but in theirs. You are just a stupid pawn in their eyes, someone they hope is too ill-informed, ignorant or stupid to see through the lies, and find the facts.

 

[MauiPa]

Hey Mark, please hire the best lawyers and hire bunch of them. Spend hours and hours to develop your frivolous case. Everyone would love to see you burn through cash for nothing.

By the way, Mark, you are a piece of s@@@.

I hear Rudy is available. Oh wait, I think he was disbarred

 

[jz0309]

Well Facebook, you might be digging your own grave here.
Did you not observe the political pressure you received over the past couple years? But please, go for it, about time the courts get to deal with you

 

[mtrm]

This whole thing about Facebook, Google and WhatsApp really opened my eyes.
Slowly moving away from Gmail to Mailbox.org and trying to migrate to Signal (only 6 of my contacts have it unfortunately...). And no way in hell I’ll ever use a device with an OS made by Google as a primary device..
Kudos to Apple for exposing this. Whether you want to be tracked or not is entirely up to the user. But I think it’s an objectively good thing knowing what is being tracked so the user can make an informed decision.

 

[LFC2020]

Shut your pie hole mark, you're starting to sound like a broken record just like epic games. 🤦‍♂️🤫🤐😶

 

[cmaier]

Hey Mark, please hire the best lawyers and hire bunch of them. Spend hours and hours to develop your frivolous case. Everyone would love to see you burn through cash for nothing.

By the way, Mark, you are a piece of s@@@.

I hear Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani want to take the case.

 

[ghboard2010]

Perhaps someone should inform Mr. Zuckerberg that anti-trust actions are intiated by the federal government against bad behaving corporations such as Facebook. The man should be careful what he wishes for, he might get it; and won't he squealing like a pig then!

 

[philpalmiero]

I fully agree with the default apps part.

I hope Apple bleeds Zuck dry.

 

[wbeasley]

So, an app that's free, complains about Apple's payment system?

Sounds like a stretch except Facebook's payment model relies on you giving away personal data (they monetize) and you may not want to when you know how deep they dig into your phone.

 

[5H3PH3RD]

we need a ‘Wall Street Bets’ style movement but for Facebook. Drive everyone off their platforms and Zuck into the ground.

 

[TTTedP]

Easy to fight back - everyone stop using facebook.

indeed. I used it for about a week, back in 2014.

 

[TTTedP]

The only reason I still use the damn thing is because of political reasons

FB has to be the absolute worst place to get decision making information. Have you watched The Social Dilemma on Netflix? Remember the "sock puppets" episode from Homeland? Read the postmortem about the 2016 US election or Brexit vote?

 

[theotherphil]

This whole thing about Facebook, Google and WhatsApp really opened my eyes.
Slowly moving away from Gmail to Mailbox.org and trying to migrate to Signal (only 6 of my contacts have it unfortunately...). And no way in hell I’ll ever use a device with an OS made by Google as a primary device..
Kudos to Apple for exposing this. Whether you want to be tracked or not is entirely up to the user. But I think it’s an objectively good thing knowing what is being tracked so the user can make an informed decision.

I’ve been quite successful in getting my contacts to switch to Signal by actually using FB to do so. Every couple of days, I have shared news stories with regards to signal and whatsapp and explained why Open Source, not for profit is better. I also used the App Store “Privacy Labels” by taking a screenshot of each and posting them as a comparison.

These small, bite sized chunks of information seems to be all the current generation can handle instead of a single massive rant.

 

[haydn!]

This just screams media play against Apple in order to try and win them some browning points. But, given Facebooks history and track record on privacy, plus the fact for the most part Epic failed to garner much public support for their case, it will likely backfire and amount to nothing.

Just clean up your act Facebook and collect and use data responsibly.

 

[Captain Trips]

I hear Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani want to take the case.

[DISCLAIMER - this is meant to be humor (or humour for the Brits in the audience) - I am "re-using some of the pro-Trump people's ridiculous claims about supposed voter fraud in the 202 US presidential election]

True thing - Hugo Chavez worked with Apple to overturn the people's choice to use Facebook! It's on all the networks!

 

[Arbuthnott]

Facebook is preparing to launch a lawsuit against Apple for alleged anticompetitive behaviour, particularly regarding App Tracking Transparency and iMessage, according to The Information. [...]

During Facebook's quarterly earnings call with investors yesterday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Apple's business is increasingly focused "on gaining share in apps and services against us and other developers." [...]

One factor within this is said to be considerable internal dissent within Facebook itself. Executives are facing "internal resistance" from some employees over the prospect of deepening its public campaign against Apple with a lawsuit. Specifically, some employees are apparently concerned that Facebook is "not a compelling victim," especially given the company's own antitrust cases and mishandling of user data.

Article Link: Facebook Preparing Antitrust Lawsuit Against Apple for 'Unfair' Approach to Privacy and Default Apps

Just Wow! So FaceBook is going to go to court to try to stop Apple from forcing FaceBook (and others) to let users know how their data is used, and to give users the option of privacy. How can Zuckerberg et al possibly claim that their secret and uncontrolled use of people's personal information can possibly be acceptable? We have seen Brexit, and the interference with elections in the USA. We have seen FaceBook (and others) take on powers that belong with our legislators and courts in deciding who can post what. This power and obsessive opposition of transparency and accountability is a serious loophole that is long overdue for being closed.

Having already moved off my WhatsApp account (they had said they would keep my information private, and now they are effectively admitting that this was not true), I am now looking to complete my movement away from FaceBook entirely.

I note with interest that Google is also starting to use its market power to try to frighten governments - for example the threats to Australia because Australia wants its media sources to be fairly compensated by Google who are currently making free use of it as part of the traffic on which it makes its own revenue.

Will the Democrats have the power and determination to tackle these monster companies, or are they already too big to be brought to heel?

 

[Macaholic868]

If Apple doesn’t subject it’s own apps to the same rules it subjects others to then that is an unfair advantage and they need to own it and fix it. If the same standards apple across the board and Facebook doesn’t like it then too bad. Users want to know when they are being tracked. If that reduces Facebook’s revenue then they need to offer a subscription that allows users to opt out. If much rather pay a monthly fee for an app than have a freebie that makes its money selling my data. I’ve been saying it for years now. Give those of us who value our privacy a paid option and I’d be back on Facebook tomorrow. Until then I’ll pass.

 

[Arbuthnott]

I really don’t think that Facebook realized that the population is against them on this one. Talk about living in an ivory tower. I don’t really care how this effects their bottom line - if they can’t make money without harvesting my data to sell, then they should go out of business.

I think that frankly FaceBook don't give a damn whether the public is for or against them on this. This is their lifeline and they feel threatened. A company that has made a fortune by uncontrolled access to everyone's personal information , to use in any way that they choose, is going to have to trim their sails and reset their ambitions in line with what money can be made when the general public takes back whatever amount of privacy that they choose to have - rather than having zero privacy forced on them by greedy corporates

 

[TVreporter]

Why didn’t I become a lawyer? The only winners to come out of this mess.

 

[shapesinaframe]

This is why you don’t build your business on top of somebody else’s; when they make changes to their business, the foundations of your business start to crack.

 

[Arbuthnott]

If Apple doesn’t subject it’s own apps to the same rules it subjects others to then that is an unfair advantage and they need to own it and fix it. If the same standards apple across the board and Facebook doesn’t like it then too bad. Users want to know when they are being tracked. If that reduces Facebook’s revenue then they need to offer a subscription that allows users to opt out. If much rather pay a monthly fee for an app than have a freebie that makes its money selling my data. I’ve been saying it for years now. Give those of us who value our privacy a paid option and I’d be back on Facebook tomorrow. Until then I’ll pass.

When has Apple ever said that they would not follow the same rules? They have clearly stated that they will follow the same rules, which is no surprise. It would have been a surprise if Apple had said anything else.

BTW the issue is not simply your buying habits. It's a nuisance to be followed around with companies trying to sell you things related to your browsing or searching habits, of course, but really this is not the issue. The bigger issue is that by the use of big data, For example, Cambridge Analytica bought FaceBook data that allowed them to bias the Brexit vote in a way that has caused untold damage to the UK's current businesses and future prospects, and against what had been the majority preference for the UK to remain part of Europe. The power to influence such things, and to know how to present misleading and skewed information to key groups in the community, effectively undermines the working of democracy and opens us up to manipulation that is more powerful than simply cheating during poling. It risks us being manipulated into conflicts against our interests. It risks us failing to deal with theft and corruption by powerful interests. It can create en environment in which people think that it is reasonable to take part in Extinction Rebellion riots, or encourage targeted flash violence that can damage the malls owned by the competition. This is a much bigger issue than trying to sell you a better mattress or a different brand of washing powder.