In a preview of an interview with The New York Times‘Kara Swisher, which will be released on Monday, April 5, Apple CEO Tim Cook said he is “surprised” by the criticism Apple has received in recent months for upcoming privacy changes to iOS and he stated that they are “difficult to argue against.” . “
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Apple plans to begin implementing Transparency Application Tracking (ATT) changes after the release of iOS 14.5, which means all apps that access the ad ID of an iPhone or IDFA will need to request permission from a user before tracking is allowed.
The move has sparked criticism from some companies, especially Facebook, which argues that the new changes will hurt small businesses.
Facebook says small businesses rely on tracking to provide personalized ads, and with ATT, those ads will be less effective. However, when asked in the interview about how ATT will affect Facebook, Cook said he “doesn’t focus on Facebook” and doesn’t know it.
Swisher asked, “What is your response to Facebook’s response, which is quite vehement, which essentially calls you an existential crisis for your business?” Cook replied, “All we’re doing, Kara, is giving the user the option to follow up or not. And I think it’s hard to argue against that. I’ve been, I’m surprised it’s there. there has been a setback to this degree. “
Facebook initially came out against ATT; however, the company has recently changed its tone. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg now says it is possible that the new change could benefit Facebook by giving it an advantage in the online commerce space.
We may even be in a stronger position if Apple’s changes encourage more companies to trade more on our platforms, making it harder for them to use their data to find customers they’d like to use. your products off our platforms.
Cook’s latest comments are just an excerpt from the full interview to be released Monday in which the CEO discusses the removal of Parler from the App Store, the power of Big Tech and what is meant to be called “Tim Apple “.