Instagram & Facebook have put a subtle threatening message in a pop-up to iOS users who have upgraded to iOS 14.5.
The threat? Users might need to pay for using the services!
‘Help keep Facebook free of charge’ – does it actually sound threatening? It sure is a subtle one to convey the message to the users who downloaded iOS 14.5. If the users do not allow to track them from app to app, there might be a chance of paying to use facebook & instagram in the near future.
Why is Facebook worried?
After the release of iOS 14.5, all the apps must ask for permission from the users if they will be able to track a user’s activity between apps & websites. This new feature will impact the social media giant’s ad revenue since businesses rely on customer data to target their ads. If there’s no data on iPhone users, (considered as premium users) businesses would find it hard to get their product message across.
Facebook will try every trick in the book to make sure people opt in for allowing tracking.
To help people make a more informed decision, we’re also showing a screen of our own, along with Apple’s. It will provide more information about how we use personalized ads, which support small businesses and keep apps free. If you accept the prompts for Facebook and Instagram, the ads you see on those apps won’t change. If you decline, you will still see ads, but they will be less relevant to you. Agreeing to these prompts doesn’t result in Facebook collecting new types of data. It just means that we can continue to give people better experiences.
As per Facebook….
As per Apple’s app store rules, users cannot be provided incentive in return for tracking. Is Facebook breaking a rule here?
Facebook seems to be framing the whole incident as a negative thing for the internet which will affect small businesses & their earnings.
Will you allow Facebook & Instagram to track your data? Let us know in the comments below.
