Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Says Apple's Privacy Changes are Self-Serving and Anti-Competitive

Facebook today shared its earnings for the fourth quarter of 2020, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's opening remarks were focused on Apple's upcoming anti-tracking privacy changes that will impact the advertising industry and companies like Facebook that rely heavily on online advertising.

Apple vs Facebook feature
As highlighted by The Washington Post, Zuckerberg claimed that Apple is changing its privacy policy not to help people, but to further its own interests.

"Apple has every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work, which they regularly do," said Zuckerberg. "They say they are doing this to help people, but the moves clearly track their competitive interests."

Zuckerberg said that Facebook sees Apple as one of its biggest competitors, claiming that the privacy changes will help Apple services like iMessage and FaceTime that compete with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

"iMessage is a key linchpin of their ecosystem," said Zuckerberg. "It comes pre-installed on every iPhone and they preference it with private APIs and permissions, which is why iMessage is the most used messaging service in the U.S."

Zuckerberg also once again said that Apple's changes are going to impact small businesses, which is a claim that Facebook has been leaning on as it campaigns against Apple's planned changes. Facebook has previously published newspaper ads and shared blog posts explaining how Apple's iOS 14 ad-tracking changes will have a "harmful impact on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat."

Facebook has previously claimed that Apple's move is "about profit," and that it will leave apps and websites with no choice but to charge subscription fees or add in-app purchases to make ends meet, leading to increased App Store revenue.

Apple is not backing down despite Facebook's complaints and has plans to implement the new tracking rules in the near future. When made a requirement, apps that track usage through a random advertising identifier will need to ask users if they want to share their information for ad tracking purposes.

Advertisers use the random advertising identifier to serve up personalized ads and to track ad campaigns, but the ad industry expects that many people will opt not to share this information.

Apple says that users should be aware of when their data is being collected and shared across other apps and websites, and should have the choice to opt in or opt out. "We believe that this is a matter of standing up for our users," Apple has said in response to Facebook's claims.

Top Rated Comments

gnomeisland Avatar
37 months ago
And Facebook's monetizing of my privacy *isn't* about profit?!
Score: 121 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Runs For Fun Avatar
37 months ago
Oh boo hoo Zucc. Here’s the world’s smallest violin ?
Score: 86 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thedarkhalf Avatar
37 months ago
Yea ok, Zuck. Shut the **** up and go back to your home planet.
Score: 77 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple_Robert Avatar
37 months ago
Mark is the king of self-serving (and a lying hypocrite). All he is doing is trying to divert attention away from him, by smearing Apple.
Score: 71 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DNichter Avatar
37 months ago
Apple may take advantage of privacy being a key foundation of their platforms, but that was a decision they made years ago and have stuck with it. Sounds like a good business move to me more than anything else. Zuck can cry all he wants, but he made the choice to pry on Facebook users personal data for profit. Now he has to live with the repercussions of being one of the most damaging services in the world.
Score: 68 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
37 months ago
Too bad so sad. Sucks to suck. Get over it.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...