Zuckerberg Criticized Apple for Its Privacy Policy, Seeing Apple as One of Facebook’s “Biggest Competitors”

Recently, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg criticized Apple’s upcoming privacy reforms in his opening speech at the fourth quarter earnings conference call and said that Facebook is seeing Apple as one of its biggest competitors.

Apple is planning to adjust its system software to ask iPhone and iPad users in a more conspicuous way if they are willing to share their information for advertising purposes. The Internet advertising industry is expected to be hit, because a large number of users may choose not to share personal information.

Almost all of Facebook’s revenue comes from Internet advertising. The company is bluntly discussing on its upcoming adjustments, including targeting newspaper ads and launching a new website. It also published an official blog that systematically opposed Apple’s approach, saying the adjustment “is threatening the precise advertising services that millions of small businesses rely on to target and access customers”.

Zuckerberg suggested in his speech that Apple use its position to develop autonomous services, especially iMessage service, a competitor to messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.

Zuckerberg said: “iMessage is the key to their ecology. iMessage is pre-installed on every iPhone, and they prefer private API (application programming interface) and authorization, which is why iMessage is the most used instant messaging service in the United States.”

Apple’s business is now increasingly dependent on gaining market share in applications and services, he said. “Apple has a strong incentive to use its dominant platform position to intervene in the way our apps and other apps are used. Apple often does this to favor its own apps. This has affected the development of millions of companies around the world, the same is true for the upcoming iOS 14.”

Zuckerberg also reiterated Facebook’s position that Apple’s adjustment of privacy settings will make it more difficult for small businesses to deliver accurate advertising to customers. “Apple may say that this is to help users, but it also obviously involves the interests of Apple’s competitors. And in the foreseeable future, all of us will be confronted with this,” he said.