• MarTech Today
  • Sections
    • Ads
    • Marketing
    • Content
    • Sales
    • Analytics
    • Management
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Mgmt
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

MarTech Today

MarTech Today
  • Ads
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Resources
  • More
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Martech: Analytics & Data

Taking aim at Facebook & others: Apple says it is ‘shutting down’ tracking from Like & Share buttons and conversation platforms

Apple shores up its pro-privacy, anti-tracking positioning.

Ginny Marvin on June 4, 2018 at 4:50 pm
  • More

Apple further entrenched its strategic positioning as privacy protector against the ad tech ecosystem at WWDC, its annual developer conference, on Monday. Apple is taking aim at Facebook’s Like buttons, Disqus comments widgets and other third-party APIs that can be used for data collection, tracking and ad targeting.

Last year, Apple shrugged at industry pushback that came after it launched Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) in Safari 11 to disable pervasive ad retargeting in its browser.

During the livestreamed keynote Monday, Apple announced, “Like and share buttons and conversation windows — these can be used to track you whether you click on them or not. This year we are shutting that down.” With the launch of Safari 12, users will get a notification to choose whether share their data with third-party widgets like Facebook Like buttons, Disqus comments widgets and other plug-ins on a page.

Additionally, Apple is making fingerprinting — the ability for trackers to identify specific devices — much harder. In essence, “Your Mac will look like everyone else’s Mac,” said Apple. “It will be dramatically more difficult for data companies to uniquely identify your device and track you.”

If ever Apple wanted a “told you so” example of why it has been focused on efforts like ITP in the first place, Facebook has presented it on a silver platter. Apple CEO Tim Cook has been an outspoken critic of Facebook’s approach to data privacy and its role in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Apple isn’t the only entity throwing up its hands at the ad tech ecosystem’s attempts at self-regulation and taking action of its own. The EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), now in effect, is aimed at giving users, rather than internet ad businesses, control over their data.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily MarTech Today. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Ginny Marvin
Ginny Marvin is Third Door Media’s Editor-in-Chief, running the day to day editorial operations across all publications and overseeing paid media coverage. Ginny Marvin writes about paid digital advertising and analytics news and trends for Search Engine Land, Marketing Land and MarTech Today. With more than 15 years of marketing experience, Ginny has held both in-house and agency management positions. She can be found on Twitter as @ginnymarvin.

Related Topics

AppleChannel: Martech: Analytics & Data

Subscribe to receive daily martech news and expert insights. See terms.


We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Get the daily newsletter digital marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • The Six Principles of Building a Memorable Customer Experience
  • 5 Reasons Agencies Adopt Marketing Automation
  • How to Land Higher-Paying Clients: A 7-Step Framework to Grow Your Agency
  • B2B Marketing Trends Shaping 2021
  • State of Email Marketing 2021 Report
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Crawl Your Way Towards Better Search Results With Dynamic Rendering
  • The AI Revolution Is Coming to Every Stage of Your Buyer’s Journey
  • The Fundamentals of Link Building for E-Commerce & Affiliate Sites in 2021
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Register For MarTech - Free

Receive daily martech news and analysis.

Channels

  • Advertising
  • Marketing
  • Content
  • Social
  • Commerce
  • Sales
  • Analytics
  • Management
  • Home

Our Events

  • MarTech
  • SMX

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.