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Honest question: Does Facebook app on iOS need IDFA that much? A user is logged in and identified anyway, Facebook can deliver personalized ads. Facebook loses

Honest question: Does Facebook app on iOS need IDFA that much? A user is logged in and identified anyway, Facebook can deliver personalized ads. Facebook loses data about user activity outside Facebook, but is it so important? Isn't in-platform data not enough to personalize ads?

sbuk 6y ago
For Facebook at least, it's not about 'ads'. Personalised ads are a distraction. Not being able to track outside of their platform takes away the ability to extend the profile they are building around the user. Their customers are interested in this profile because they can use that information to manipulate the user. And we're not talking about choosing Bosch over Whirlpool for a new dishwasher...
- srtjstjsj 6y ago
  You're weirdly obliquely referring to political ads. Those are ads.
  - braythwayt 6y ago
    Not just ads, but yes ads. If I friend/follow a lot of people, and I have a simple timeline, I see what they're thinking about. But if there's an algorithm selecting which posts I see from my social circle, and it happens to shade one way versus another, there are no ads, no synthetic content, but I have still been manipulated. FB experimented with this quite famously a while back, they used sentiment analysis to see if they could manipulate people into being more or less depressed. Without informing users, obtaining their consent, or following any of the other rigorous requirements for doing psychological research that we demand from medical proactitioners.
  - sbuk 6y ago
    Yes and no. Yes, in the literal sence. Political ads like "Vote for John Doe; the law and order candidate" when you profile as a conservative is fine. Pushing "We send the EU £350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead" when you profile as conservative isn't, because it's a lie designed to provoke a reaction and rile supporters. Or filling your feed not with just ads, but "news". Yes, that's paid for too. Edit: braythwayt said it far more eloquently than I...
atty 6y ago
I might be wrong about this, but it’s my impression that Facebook tries really hard to track everything possible, not just what you’re doing on FB/IG/WA, using those silly like/share buttons people embed everywhere, and other technologies. Considering their vehement arguments against this change in iOS, I’d guess they think those off-platform streams of information are quite important. And I can see why - a user might not use Facebook for hobbies or interests, and tracking them around the web would give a much better view of someone. It’s quite sleazy.
- BlueTemplar 6y ago
  I remember a study showing that 25% of the top 100 Android apps were sending data to Facebook.

sbuk 6y ago

For Facebook at least, it's not about 'ads'. Personalised ads are a distraction. Not being able to track outside of their platform takes away the ability to extend the profile they are building around the user. Their customers are interested in this profile because they can use that information to manipulate the user. And we're not talking about choosing Bosch over Whirlpool for a new dishwasher...

srtjstjsj 6y ago
You're weirdly obliquely referring to political ads. Those are ads.
- braythwayt 6y ago
  Not just ads, but yes ads. If I friend/follow a lot of people, and I have a simple timeline, I see what they're thinking about. But if there's an algorithm selecting which posts I see from my social circle, and it happens to shade one way versus another, there are no ads, no synthetic content, but I have still been manipulated. FB experimented with this quite famously a while back, they used sentiment analysis to see if they could manipulate people into being more or less depressed. Without informing users, obtaining their consent, or following any of the other rigorous requirements for doing psychological research that we demand from medical proactitioners.
- sbuk 6y ago
  Yes and no. Yes, in the literal sence. Political ads like "Vote for John Doe; the law and order candidate" when you profile as a conservative is fine. Pushing "We send the EU £350 million a week, let's fund our NHS instead" when you profile as conservative isn't, because it's a lie designed to provoke a reaction and rile supporters. Or filling your feed not with just ads, but "news". Yes, that's paid for too. Edit: braythwayt said it far more eloquently than I...

atty 6y ago

I might be wrong about this, but it’s my impression that Facebook tries really hard to track everything possible, not just what you’re doing on FB/IG/WA, using those silly like/share buttons people embed everywhere, and other technologies. Considering their vehement arguments against this change in iOS, I’d guess they think those off-platform streams of information are quite important. And I can see why - a user might not use Facebook for hobbies or interests, and tracking them around the web would give a much better view of someone. It’s quite sleazy.

BlueTemplar 6y ago
I remember a study showing that 25% of the top 100 Android apps were sending data to Facebook.