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MediaPost

Advertisers Blast Apple’s New Privacy Settings

Jul 26, 2018  •  Post A Comment

Advertisers are unhappy with Apple over changes the company is implementing with the upcoming version of its Safari browser, which is due out in September.

MediaPost reports that a coalition of ad industry groups penned an open letter saying the update will “erode advertisers’ ability to reach their customers with relevant advertising.”

“Apple said last month at the Worldwide Developers Conference that the newest version of Safari will include additional default settings aimed at protecting consumers’ privacy,” MediaPost reports. “Among other new settings, the browser will alert users via pop-up notifications when Facebook (and other companies) attempt to collect tracking data.”

The report adds: “Apple also plans to make it harder for companies to use digital fingerprinting techniques to track people. Companies that use digital fingerprinting techniques attempt to recognize users based on data about their devices such as browser versions, installed fonts, plug-ins and other characteristics. Apple will hinder that effort by limiting the amount of data it sends to websites about users’ devices.”

The update caught the attention of a coalition made up of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, American Advertising Federation, Association of National Advertisers, Interactive Advertising Bureau and Network Advertising Initiative. The groups expressed concern that the new settings will damage online advertising and impair anti-fraud efforts.

In their letter, the groups said: “The changes announced by Apple will block tools used to support many online functions, including content personalization and advertising by forcing users to click through new popups to allow those tools to share their information. In doing so, Apple is adding to the pop-up blizzard … while depriving those websites of advertising revenue associated with those user visits.”

One Comment

  1. It’s like these guys are TRYING to give Apple an endorsement!

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