A leaked Facebook memo, as seen by Business Insider, reveals how the company is preparing advertisers for some upcoming changes following Apple's Tracking and Transparency feature's implementation.
Apple and Facebook have been on rocky terms for quite a while, and perhaps nothing defines their tumultuous relationship better than the iOS 14 debacle. Essentially, the former's introduction of Tracking and Transparency features was viewed as a threat to current business models by the latter. Apple's new App Store regulations demanded that, in conjunction with the new features, developers would have to actively reveal the sort of information they'd be leeching from users, while also giving them the option to back out. What this meant is that targeted advertisements that typically rely on user data such as browser history could be willingly opted out of. It was viewed as a milestone in online security by many, with praise going to Apple accordingly.
Of course, many is not all, and Facebook is very willing to prove it. A heated back and forth started between the two companies, with the social network actively touting itself as the champion of younger, more indie developers. Citing targeted advertisements as a main revenue stream for such developers, Facebook argued that the Tracking and Transparency feature would actively present data being harvested from users as a bad thing. This, naturally, will ensure that users back out of any provision of personal information, making developers lose out. Of course, what Facebook always neglects to mention in these sermons is how much of its own revenue relies on advertising, and how big tech companies such as itself actively propagate this online environment in the first place.
The memo is divided into three separate points. The memos collectively discuss the modelling of click-through attribution data that Facebook often complies for advertisers. In this case, Facebook's memos to advertisers specify that while 1-day click through data will still be available to them, 7 and 28 day click through and view through data will no longer include data from users with iOS 14.5. The same applies for 1 day, 7 day, and 28 day view through data. Ultimately, advertisers will no longer have any navigational insight with Apple users as Facebook is rather clearly throwing in the towel. For now, that is.
These measures will likely affect targeted ads and marketing campaigns as a whole, especially considering how much of the marketplace is slowly shifting towards Apple and its corollary products.
Read next: Facebook to Launch a News Platform and Is Encouraging Local and Independent Reporters to Join Them
Apple and Facebook have been on rocky terms for quite a while, and perhaps nothing defines their tumultuous relationship better than the iOS 14 debacle. Essentially, the former's introduction of Tracking and Transparency features was viewed as a threat to current business models by the latter. Apple's new App Store regulations demanded that, in conjunction with the new features, developers would have to actively reveal the sort of information they'd be leeching from users, while also giving them the option to back out. What this meant is that targeted advertisements that typically rely on user data such as browser history could be willingly opted out of. It was viewed as a milestone in online security by many, with praise going to Apple accordingly.
Of course, many is not all, and Facebook is very willing to prove it. A heated back and forth started between the two companies, with the social network actively touting itself as the champion of younger, more indie developers. Citing targeted advertisements as a main revenue stream for such developers, Facebook argued that the Tracking and Transparency feature would actively present data being harvested from users as a bad thing. This, naturally, will ensure that users back out of any provision of personal information, making developers lose out. Of course, what Facebook always neglects to mention in these sermons is how much of its own revenue relies on advertising, and how big tech companies such as itself actively propagate this online environment in the first place.
The memo is divided into three separate points. The memos collectively discuss the modelling of click-through attribution data that Facebook often complies for advertisers. In this case, Facebook's memos to advertisers specify that while 1-day click through data will still be available to them, 7 and 28 day click through and view through data will no longer include data from users with iOS 14.5. The same applies for 1 day, 7 day, and 28 day view through data. Ultimately, advertisers will no longer have any navigational insight with Apple users as Facebook is rather clearly throwing in the towel. For now, that is.
These measures will likely affect targeted ads and marketing campaigns as a whole, especially considering how much of the marketplace is slowly shifting towards Apple and its corollary products.
Read next: Facebook to Launch a News Platform and Is Encouraging Local and Independent Reporters to Join Them
