Former Employees Explain What Facebook Has to Lose When Apple Implements App Tracking Transparency

[ExPcUsr]

Facebook's projected loss of revenue from 14.5 is actually pretty small - all things considered. One would expect that their revenue would quickly dwindle to zero with reduced (no?) ad targeting, but I don't see that happening.

Marketing departments have tasted the sweet sweet nectar of micro-targeting, they will find a way back.

 

[Chayuth]

How about with NO TRACKING!

In reality I would prefer some tracking but with me in control and explicitly express what and what not to track. For example, I‘m happy to tell FB (and other apps) that I live in which city and that I like computer games, gadgets, coffee, etc. So that I can see ads about them instead of something I would never ever want. (Or ideally no ads at all is better but FB is an ad company so to be fair, let them do their job and I don’t mind buying some products I like when seeing a really spot on ad.)

Tracking without explicit consent (and clicking ”I agree“ doesn’t count) is what I don’t want and I fully side with Apple about this implementation.

 

[Nick05]

Have never had a facebook account and never will.

You don’t need to have a facebook account in order for them to track or build a profile on you.

 

[jz0309]

Grandparents love FaceBook. Their children post the grand-babies on FB and grandma and grandpa lap it up. I tell my wife FB is evil but she just stares at me. LOL

if THAT were what FB was all about (sharing memories and such) I would probably be ok with it, but its the other 98% creepy stuff ...

 

[Le0M]

It would be amazing if a new social media with anonymity in mind - hence privacy - became the new standard.

 

[rgeneral]

Talked to my GF on the phone about earwax, and all the sudden I get earwax ads on facebook.

Creepy af.

Did you buy the wax from the Ad 😂. Then Facebook will send another ad. You can save 5% if you subscribe for auto shipment. Lol.

 

[73CortinaV8]

for your own mental health, delete facebook

 

[jntdroid]

if THAT were what FB was all about (sharing memories and such) I would probably be ok with it, but its the other 98% creepy stuff ...

Unfortunately it's the 2% that keeps everybody on the platform. People have to become uncomfortable to change, and in this case, it will need to happen en masse for any change to actually happen (i.e. people leaving FB).

In an ideal world, people would be uncomfortable with the tracking. But the fact of the matter is the people that care about tracking still make up a small minority at best, because it simply doesn't affect our day to day life in a tangible way, at least on the surface.

My personal hope is that 14.5 brings to light this tracking issue and forces more people to notice it. I'm waiting for the moment when my wife asks me what all of these prompts are about ad tracking on her newly updated phone, and then has a, "Wait what?!" moment. But my fear is she'll just be annoyed with all of the prompts and move on... (wife = general public when it comes to this stuff!).

 

[Wanted797]

Did anyone really believe that Facebook cared about small businesses?

Small businesses is literally the won’t somebody please think of the children argument for companies. (Epic... Facebook)

 

[luvbug]

Did you buy the wax from the Ad 😂. Then Facebook will send another ad. You can save 5% if you subscribe for auto shipment. Lol.

And if you get carried away with the earwax, you'll need a variety of earwax removal aids.

 

[4k78]

You don’t need to have a facebook account in order for them to track or build a profile on you.

How do? Never had an account.

 

[bb9]

Facebook can track me inside Facebook but no app should be tacking me across app. AND that is why I have deleted ALL Facebook apps from all my hardwares.

 

[inigou]

How about with NO TRACKING!​

With no tracking, people would need to start paying for everything that is free now. I don’t think they would agree.

Facebook only cares about its own bottom line. No one believes they are fighting for the little guy

And do you believe Apple is fighting for the little guy? 😂 Apple only wants your money, like all companies.

 

[rgeneral]

With no tracking, people would need to start paying for everything that is free now. I don’t think they would agree.

And do you believe Apple is fighting for the little guy? 😂 Apple only wants your money, like all companies.

Right. How about letting the users decide. Not tracking on by default.

 

[Constable Odo]

There is no guarantee that most users won't allow personalized ad-tracking. Most people simply don't care about whether they're ad-tracked or not. It's a fact that most people don't care if Facebook uses their personal data and shares it with anyone who is willing to pay for it. People love Facebook and don't mind what's used as long as they can continue using Facebook social media without having to pay actual money for it. I don't use Facebook or any other social media but I'm definitely in the minority. Apple is going to try to inform people about Facebook's personalized ad-tracking, but it's not going to work. Facebook will be worth even more after these iOS changes take place. Facebook will continue to climb in value no matter what Apple does to try to stop it. Zuckerberg is simply trying to help his company make as much money as possible and that's why Facebook is so highly respected on Wall Street. Big investors love Zuckerberg.

 

[macsareveryinteresting]

LOL Mark Zuckberg is anxious. RIP Facebook. Enjoy the last of it while you can because it’s going bye bye.

 

[Abazigal]

This feature is half a year too late, but I will take it.

 

[Naraxus]

Facebook can kiss my ass and so can their data collection policies

 

[inigou]

Right. How about letting the users decide. Not tracking on by default.

Because internet is a business. And you are the product for most of the big and small companies all around.
Data is too valuable to let it go.
Obviously I don’t like it, but is how internet works.

 

[ddtmm]

Talked to my GF on the phone about earwax, and all the sudden I get earwax ads on facebook.

Creepy af.

Please tell me you didn't buy earwax after clicking on an ad you saw on Facebook.

Yes, creepy.

 

[-BigMac-]

Personal opinion: without targeted advertising, Facebook would lose 30-50% of annual income

 

[Blowback]

As Apple prepares to implement App Tracking Transparency changes in iOS 14.5, CNBC spoke with several former Facebook employees to get details on why Facebook has been so heavily against the planned privacy updates.

Starting this spring, Facebook and other app developers will need to get express permission to access a user's advertising identifier, or IDFA, which is used to track usage across apps and websites for ad targeting purposes. Facebook has campaigned heavily against App Tracking Transparency, taking out full page newspaper ads and attempting to position Apple as an enemy of small businesses.

One of Facebook's main arguments is that Apple's changes will hurt businesses that use Facebook's advertising tools, but former Facebook employee Henry Love told CNBC that for many businesses, the change might not even be noticeable.

Less ad tracking data will prevent Facebook and its clients from targeting ads as effectively as they can now, but a lot of businesses may not need much data for effective ad targeting. A small coffee shop in Texas, for example, likely uses broad targeting categories like zip code and age range for ads, which is data that Facebook can collect from its own apps without the need for the IDFA.

People who are targeting users across mobile, web, and the Facebook Audience Network with the IDFA are "not small businesses," with Love calling such companies "sophisticated, VC-backed startups."

App Tracking Transparency will threaten Facebook's view-through conversion tracking, a metric that lets ad companies figure out how many people saw an ad, didn't click it, but later made a purchase related to the ad. Retailers can record the info of the person who bought an item and then share it with Facebook, with Facebook able to determine whether that person's IDFA matches with a user who saw an ad for the product purchased.

CNBC says that the loss of this info could heavily impact Facebook because if advertisers can't accurately measure the effectiveness of Instagram and Facebook ads, they might shift more of their budget to other apps and services.

Facebook's Audience Network, which provides advertisements in non-Facebook apps, will also be impacted because it uses IDFA data to choose the best ads to show to users based on Facebook data. If users opt out of sharing the IDFA, Facebook's ad personalization efforts will be rendered useless outside of its own apps.

Facebook is planning to ask users for permission to access the IDFA, and is testing wording that suggests the tracking will provide a better ad experience. Facebook test prompts encourage customers to allow IDFA usage to "support businesses that rely on ads to reach customers."

Article Link: Former Employees Explain What Facebook Has to Lose When Apple Implements App Tracking Transparency

Hope one of the options they offer when they ask is F...Off...; they're basically the internet version of the robot-call. And Zberg comes across as incredibly slimy and insincere when addressing these issues. Why would / should I trust you NOW , when you have to ask for my input/permission when you treated me like fodder previously?

 

[Blowback]

or retailers could simply ask after you make a purchase if you saw the ad on Facebook. I usually don't mind a one or two question survey when making purchases, sometimes lets me also express my complaints.

Likewise...I will complete simple, 1-5 questioners as I believe they may be helpful in the long run for me and others. Really don't understand business that try and sucker customers into 10 question / 10 min. long surveys...without warning! Really! At least Nielson pays!

 

[Blowback]

Facebook will most likely become even more ad riddled in attempts to makeup revenue losses, or they will start charging.
Twitter is already testing the waters with that "super follow" garbage.

FB...change.....thanks for the laugh! Going by Zuck/Sheryl s past behavior .....

 

[Blowback]

Facebook's projected loss of revenue from 14.5 is actually pretty small - all things considered. One would expect that their revenue would quickly dwindle to zero with reduced (no?) ad targeting, but I don't see that happening.

Marketing departments have tasted the sweet sweet nectar of micro-targeting, they will find a way back.

Eventually the people who purchase the ads have to stop drinking the FB marketing Kool Aid. Its like tv ads....does no-one realize that people do 'things' during commercials or mute them???? I hit the mute button as if I were born with a gene for it.....