Facebook-Sponsored Research Paper Lambasts Apple’s iOS 14.5 Privacy

William Gallagher, writing for AppleInsider:

“Harming Competition and Consumers Under the Guise of Protecting Privacy,” is a new academic research paper funded by Facebook. Citing the social media company on 11 of its 22 pages, it takes the position that Apple’s privacy features are “devastating” and that, “app developers, advertisers and the ads ecosystem lose.”

The paper, subtitled “An Analysis of Apple’s iOS 14 Policy Updates,” is written by D. Daniel Sokol of the University of Florida Levin College of Law, and Feng Zhu, from the Harvard Business School.

“While thinly veiled as a privacy-protecting measure, Apple’s iOS 14 policy changes harm the entire ad-supported ecosystem — from developers to advertisers to end consumers,” they write in the full paper. “By sharply limiting the ability of third-party apps to create value through personalized advertising, Apple’s policy changes undermine competition.”

Let’s get them some lollipops, make the boo-boo feel better.

(Alternative quip: “By sharply reducing burglaries, police are limiting the ability of pawn shops to create value from stolen goods.”)

★ Thursday, 27 May 2021