Twitter Begins Asking Users to Enable Ad Tracking

[carrrrrlos]

“Help”? lol. Okay, if Facebook wants to be the helpful one, how about not charging for ads, or better yet, make a more enjoyable Instagram experience by not showing ads every 5th post. Facebook should just own up to their advertising practices and stop making it about how it hurts those millions of small businesses and users they are profiting from.

 

[Analog Kid]

This really is interesting to watch. I've been ridiculed for years as paranoid for not getting near these social media shysters. This is when we learn just how much money these companies are making off of data most people didn't know they were taking.

Can they ask what type of ads I would like to see? like I can tell you what I like / no need to track me

You don't know what you want, let Twitter help.

(Kidding aside, I feel like there was a time in the past when sites would actually ask "was this ad useful to you?"-- maybe I'm remembering wrong...)

 

[xbjllb]

Just say "No"

 

[scuac]

I wonder how much money Facebook would have to charge users to be ad free? I know it would be a 180 for them, but curious to see how much they make off each user. I bet its far more than anyone would be willing to pay

From their 2020 earning reports, they had $84 billion in ad revenue. At the same time it was estimated FB had 2.7 billion active users in 2020 (this data point is more dubious, but let's go with it). That means FB's revenue from users is approximately $30/year. Would you pay $2.50 per month for FB without ads and tracking? I would seriously consider it.

EDIT: actually from their own earnings report they also estimated active monthly users for 2020 at 2.8 billion, so the math above stands.

 

[Picklefoot]

Everyone should delete Twitter from their life.

 

[dynamojoe]

Pass. I deleted, rejoined, and deleted Twitter again. Every time I'd go to twitter I'd get angry.

 

[dohspc]

Just leave it permanently turned off. There is no benefit.

 

[Rigby]

i mean, technically that’s true right?

fb isn’t a public service. not sure why you would want to use it but if you do your going to have to pay, either with your data or with money

Yes, but it's not true that Apple's ATT prevents them from making money. If you deny permission they can still track what you do in their app (e.g. what types of postings you're interested in) and use that to target ads everywhere in their ad network at you. The ads may be less effective because the targeting may be less precise, but it's not at all clear how significant that is.

 

[iamdmann]

I'd like to see having "allow apps to request to track" disabled prevent messages like this. In other words, if I allow apps to request THEN that screen can be displayed and after that it can ask to track (a double opt in). Obviously there are many reasons that this is not practical (or would be too anticompetitive to be viable), but if Apple wanted to really find a 'hill to die on' I think this would be an interesting move. For the next how many rounds of updates will iOS apps turn into websites throwing banners and privacy policy update notices at us to comply with GDPR/CCPA/etc.? Notice is better than no notice, and I like that Apple went as far as they did, but I would prefer not to see any of these messages (and I would prefer no ads and premium apps free forever, etc. etc. ...I know I'm playing in a make believe sandbox here)

 

[Graphikos]

This is confirmation to me how good Apple's efforts on privacy are. The restrictions in place really must be working if companies are asking. You know they wouldn't bother if there were other viable alternative methods available to track.

Every social network is toxic in some form but I feel Twitter is one of the better ones. I hope they can find other (better) methods of bringing in revenue. I thought their plan for patreon/onlyfans like services for Twitter content was a good one. Personally, I'd be more willing to support both the creator and the platform and cutting out the middle man just siphoning money off other's success.

 

[jdawgnoonan]

Does anyone actually appreciate targeted ads? These companies sure try hard to convince us that we do. I, for one, dislike them. I prefer irrelevant ads because I try to ignore ads anyway.

 

[Dr_Dre]

I’m here to comment on the topic not the ads themselves. Nice try though but the correction accepted (not the ads)

Your logic is astounding 😂 how do you think MacRumors makes it money for you to comment on their website

 

[Just sayin...]

I’ll get right on it - right after I download the actual Twitter (and FB) apps…

</sarc>

 

[Kiriko2]

I got that message in Twitter, with the CONTINUE button, but no Apple prompt.

Twitter isn’t listed under Settings>Privacy>Tracking (there are a few weather apps in there turned off).

Don’t often use the official Twitter client, but curious why I didn’t get the Apple prompt.

 

[bsamcash]

Scroll through two pages and not one Admiral Akbar.

 

[tubular]

Actually, knowing that Twitter is asking that makes me want to put the Twitter app on my iPhone, just so I can say no.

 

[chungus]

This pretty much guarantees every phone I'll ever buy will be an iPhone. The thing I like about Apple is that they're considered big tech, but they make the vast majority of their money by selling hardware like in the old days. Which I think is significantly harder to do these days than sell SaaS.

 

[dannyyankou]

Nope!!!!

 

[dannyyankou]

Actually, knowing that Twitter is asking that makes me want to put the Twitter app on my iPhone, just so I can say no.

That’s exactly why I have “allow apps to ask to track” enabled, I want to say no to each one lol

 

[tubular]

That’s exactly why I have “allow apps to ask to track” enabled, I want to say no to each one lol

"Nooooooooooo! You can't have it!"

 

[mac-axeman]

asking not to track does nothing though. They are still going to track you and still are.
I am still getting ads for sites I visit across facebook and Instagram when i asked them not to track. This whole thing is BS and means nothing. You cant stop them from tracking you.

 

[Dark Lelantos]

No prompt on iPadOS after the update... 🤔

edit: just got it. Happily denied!

 

[dogslobber]

It's not 'tracking' but cyberstalking. You wouldn't let a creep into your home so why would you let in a Twit?

 

[Rigby]

I got that message in Twitter, with the CONTINUE button, but no Apple prompt.

Twitter isn’t listed under Settings>Privacy>Tracking (there are a few weather apps in there turned off).

Don’t often use the official Twitter client, but curious why I didn’t get the Apple prompt.

You have probably disabled tracking globally in the privacy settings, so you won't even be asked.

 

[Kiriko2]

You have probably disabled tracking globally in the privacy settings, so you won't even be asked.

It’s not off globally. As I said there are a few weather apps in the list that are set to not track.