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Comment by joshstrange | Hacker News Reader

Clearly no one in these comments read the actual article. They are adding one more ad slot in App Store search results "according to two people familiar with its plans". This is such a non-story it's not even funny. Also what FB was doing and what Apple is suspected of doing here are completely different, it's apples and oranges. FB wants to track you across the web and apps on your phone, Apple wants to add one more ad slot in App Store search results, if you can't seen the huge difference between those two things then I don't know how to help you.

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It's important to note that this new ad slot "will allow advertisers to promote their apps across the whole network, rather than in response to specific searches." This is exactly Facebook's game, and the underlying technology they use to target these ads could easily be repurposed for oh, I don't know...a new search engine?

Your comment implies that Apple somehow stopped Facebook from allowing network-wide ads on the Facebook app with the privacy changes, which is not true.

the point is that that apple is clearly messing up facebook in order to push their own ads. It doesn't matter if it's one ad for apple vs 100 of facebooks. The quantity is almost irrelevant. Anyway, i don't honestly believe that apple will stop with one ad slot. I'm sure the ultimate plan calls for 2 or 3, plus others mixed in with the search results like amazon does.

It is a huge deal. Apple is screwing up facebook, in order to promote themselves. I'm shocked if there are no anti trust implications.

Facebooks own challenging behaviour needs to be adressed, of course, but by taking this alleged step, Apple is demonstrating that we shouldn't rely on them to do so.

Besides, i hate irrelevant ads coming up on my search results, and apple don't even have the miserable excuse of needing the income to maintain their Store.

What does one have to do with the other?

Facebook runs ads and tracking inside the Facebook app. Apple isn't stopping them from doing that, it's just making users aware of how that sausage is made. It's not like they are showing their own ads inside of the Facebook app.

The App Store today is barely any less skeevy that app stores of old, like GetJar.com or whatever I was downloading apps on for my Win Mobile 6.1 BlackJack phone in 2007. If they choose to weigh it down with even more ads, that's their prerogative.

>Facebook runs ads and tracking inside the Facebook app. Apple isn't stopping them from doing that, it's just making users aware of how that sausage is made

lets just call a spade a spade. For better or for worse Apple's steps are essentially screwing up facebooks business model. Now to do that out of "privacy concern" is at the very least, morally bankrupt

As to your second point about App stores 'skeevines', i shall concede to you due to lack of knowledge.

As to making more ads being a prejorative of Apple, i'm still not happy with ads and certainly not more, and less specific ads.

> For better or for worse Apple's steps are essentially screwing up facebooks business model

If you need an argument in support of why Apple's move is really targeted at publishers like Facebook, take a look at the ATT/app tracking transparency prompt that Apple have designed.

It doesn't call out any of the benefits of allowing tracking (healthy for the free app ecosystem, helps publishers), rather it's just:

"Allow {app} to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites?"

That sounds like a direct, honest and correct explanation of the result of agreeing to the prompt. I see no reason why they should include propaganda from Facebook along with it.

> For better or for worse Apple's steps are essentially screwing up facebooks business model.

They chose to become a sharecropper on Apple's farm.

Facebook still works on web browsers and iOS offers one. Whatever problems Facebook has with that are shared with all other websites that don't want third party cookies blocked on iOS. Facebook hasn't been personally targeted here.

the article also says “Apple also sells ads in its Stocks and News apps.”

so clearly they are planning to expand their ad services a lot of places not just the app store

Any expansion from a company claiming to protect our privacy should be viewed with skepticism. That they’re disadvantaging a competitor in the process is likely illegal under antitrust laws.

Disclaimer: I didn’t read the article because it’s behind a paywall. I’ll stand by it not mattering for the purposes of this discussion though.

Apple has only ever claimed to protect your privacy from other people.

https://biblehub.com/exodus/34-14.htm

"For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"

https://archive.is/XQ9Jn in case you change your mind and want to read the article you're commenting on.

Thanks, I agree with the comment that this is a big nothing. If anything I’m annoyed as a user because I already think search is too monetized in the store.

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