iPhone Users Will Pay For Using Facebook, Instagram? Mark Zuckerberg Is Planning This Move!

It seems that the American technology company, Apple and popular social media platform, Facebook are in a tussle as the former announced it is bringing App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature in iOS 14.5.

Why Would This Happen?

Prior to this, Apple released the much-awaited iOS 14.5 updates last week.

The release came with a crucial user-privacy security feature known as App Tracking Transparency (ATT).

Basically, this feature provides better control to users to block apps from tracking and storing user information.

For doing so, the iPhone OS version indirectly forces apps to add a system-level prompt request, which asks customers if the app can track them for tailored and useful ads. 

What Does Facebook Say?

Obviously, the social media platform was not in favor of this app considering it could hurt their advertisement business.

So now, with no other option left, Facebook is trying its best to educate iPhone users on why they can leave app tracking enabled.

In line with this attempt, the social media platform has started pushing screen notifications to select people in the west to allow the company to track user data.

If they don’t follow through then the Facebook and Instagram apps may soon charge fees to use them.

Impact On Small Businesses

It is noteworthy here that Facebook has been the most vocal to oppose Apple’s new ATT security feature when it was first announced during the WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) 2020 in June. 

This new feature would spell doom for small companies, which are already reeling under economic woes due to the Covid-19-induced lockdown, according to Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder of Facebook.

Further, he warned that the small app companies which offer free services will be most affected as they lose out on revenue from ads.

So with no other choice, they will have to ask consumers for subscription fees to sustain the business.

Tracking User Information

Facebook’s notification about “Help keep Facebook/Instagram free of charge” indicates that the company might end up charging users for the service at some point.

The move would affect both the customer and the enterprises.

Apart from that, Facebook also mentioned that the user information will help the company in delivering personalized ads.

Facebook said that “They are speaking up for small businesses. Apple’s new iOS 14 policy will have a harmful impact on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat and on the free internet that we all rely on more than ever,” in a blog post in December 2020.

In reality, the app developers not only tracked users on their own apps but also monitor user activities on other third-party apps and websites.

Further such information is used by apps to push targeted ads on the phone’s screen.

While using these free apps and services, people themselves had become a product.