Earlier this morning Patently Apple posted a report titled 'Facebook places ads attacking Apple's upcoming iPhone Privacy Feature in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal & Washington Post." The response to the report was rather surprising, showing that there's high interest in this developing story and war between Facebook and Apple.

In this follow-up report we cover Facebook's secondary move made today in their fight against Apple in the form of a major webpage titled "Facebook for Business" and secondary press release.  In-part, the press release states the following:

"Facebook is speaking up for small businesses. Apple’s new iOS 14 policy will have a harmful impact on many small businesses that are struggling to stay afloat and on the free internet that we all rely on more than ever. Here is an overview of what Apple is doing and where we stand:

They’re creating a policy — enforced via iOS 14’s AppTrackingTransparency — that’s about profit, not privacy. It will force businesses to turn to subscriptions and other in-app payments for revenue, meaning Apple will profit and many free services will have to start charging or exit the market.

They’re hurting small businesses and publishers who are already struggling in a pandemic. These changes will directly affect their ability to use their advertising budgets efficiently and effectively. Our studies show, without personalized ads powered by their own data, small businesses could see a cut of over 60% of website sales from ads. We don’t anticipate the proposed iOS 14 changes to cause a full loss of personalization but rather a move in that direction over the longer term.

They’re not playing by their own rules. Apple’s own personalized ad platform isn’t subject to the new iOS 14 policy.

We disagree with Apple’s approach, yet we have no choice but to show their prompt. If we don’t, we’ll face retaliation from Apple, which could only further harm the businesses we want to support. We can’t take that risk.

For 20 years I’ve been working with small businesses; I’ve dedicated my career to helping these businesses grow. And what I have been privileged to witness firsthand is how the internet has fundamentally changed the trajectory for so many businesses and the people behind them. Because of the internet, an entrepreneur is able to turn an idea into a business with just their mobile device.

One of the big reasons this is possible is because the internet has made marketing accessible and affordable. Dozens of platforms exist to support small businesses with setting up websites, payments, logistics and financing, but you need to find customers to grow a business. On Facebook, you can run a campaign with a phone and a few dollars — you no longer need an expensive agency, a five-figure budget or fancy production equipment. I’ve met many business owners who successfully have. In fact, the best part of working at Facebook is hearing stories from people who have transformed their lives and their communities by using our tools to turn a great idea into a thriving business.

I mention all of that because what Apple is proposing with their iOS 14 AppTrackingTransparency policy puts this at risk — benefitting big businesses and hurting small businesses. We’ve heard from many of you, small businesses in particular, that you are concerned about how Apple’s changes will impact your ability to effectively reach customers and grow — let alone survive in a pandemic.

So we’re speaking up for small businesses. Below is one of the testimonials that could be found on Facebook's small business webpage. 

For more testimonials check out the Facebook for Business webpage here. To review their full detailed press release titled "Speaking Up for Small Businesses" click here.