“How to lose friends in one update” could very well be the title for the story of WhatsApp’s book of privacy. And in that book a chapter could be dedicated to Apple too as it’s not gaining fans with an upcoming privacy feature. Very soon, Apple will make hard for developers to track user data without their permission. While Facebook has been up in arms, raving and ranting how Apple will ‘kill’ small businesses, Snapchat is very much team Apple.
In an interview with CNBC, Evan Spiegel, Snap CEO, said that what Apple is doing is a good thing for consumers. “We generally view this as a good thing overall for consumers, even if it’s a little disruptive for advertisers in the near term,” Spiegel told CNBC.
He further said that the company is prepared for these changes and it is on board with them. “We feel like we’re well prepared for these changes and frankly because these changes are in line with our privacy philosophy, we’ve never allowed device specific targeting, for example, and we’ve always taken a very protective stance when it comes to our users’ data,” Spiegel said.
The changes that Apple is expected soon will give users more control over their own data and whether or not they want to share with particular developers.
Snap’s chief business officer Jeremi Gormain went a step further and said that Apple is doing the right thing. “The reality is we admire Apple, and we believe that they are trying to do the right thing for their customers,” Gorman said. “Their focus on protecting privacy is aligned with our values and the way we’ve built our business from the very beginning,” he added.
On the other hand, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg once again reiterated that Apple’s new app tracking feature will hurt many. “Apple may say they’re doing this to help people but the moves clearly track their competitor interests,” Zuckerberg said during Facebook’s earnings call last week. “We and others are going to be up against this for the foreseeable future.”