Facebook announced it will show iOS users of its apps a new prompt about their privacy settings when Apple rolls out the new version of its operating system. This comes in addition to Apple's own enhanced privacy alerts.
Facebook said it wants to give users more context on how it uses their personal data for advertising. "Apple’s new prompt suggests there is a tradeoff between personalized advertising and privacy; when in fact, we can and do provide both," the company said in a blog post. "The Apple prompt also provides no context about the benefits of personalized ads."
The Facebook screen will provide more information about how the company uses personalized ads, "which support small businesses and keep apps free", the company said. If the user accepts the prompts for Facebook and Instagram, the ads seen on those apps won’t change from before. If they decline, they will still see ads, but these will be less relevant.
Facebook said that agreeing to these prompts doesn’t mean it will collect new types of data, only that it "can continue to give people better experiences". This is allowed under Apple's policy, to "provide education" for app users.
The announcement follows Facebook warning that Apple's new privacy settings in iOS 14 will restrict the ability to deliver targeted advertising in apps. Apple will roll out the update this spring, requiring apps to request the user's permission before tracking their personal data and web activity for advertising purposes.
