[ad_1]
Getty
Apple and Facebook have taken opposite corners when it comes to protecting their users’ privacy. Apple has apparently taken delight in hitting hit after hit on Facebook, narrowing down its options to track and monetize more than a billion iPhone and iPad users around the world. Meanwhile, Facebook has accused Apple of anti-competitive practices, claiming that denying the social media giant access to collect private data and power countless ads is somehow a disadvantage for all of its users. This charge against Apple is now building a epic steam head.
When the details of iOS 14 first came to light, the standout development was an app-by-app option for ad trackers. This is a tectonic shift for the advertising industry: ask users specifically agreeing to be tracked by an app is ironically fun. Hardly anyone will say yes, of course. Facebook has warned that the move could cut its mobile ad revenue in half. The fact that Apple has surprisingly delayed the move indicates how important this is for millions of apps to rewrite their code to comply. However, the direction of travel is clear.
Now, this long-running battle between Apple and Facebook has taken another turn. As reported by the information, “Facebook [has] opened a new fight with Apple over messaging. “Facebook has long suggested that Apple should follow Google’s lead and open up the default messaging slot in iOS 14 to competing platforms.” We think people should be able to choose different messaging apps and the default one on your phone, “Facebook said. the information. “Generally, everything is moving in this direction anyway.”
Since Apple has given up on allowing users to select the default mail and browser apps, has this now become a possibility? Almost sure And fortunately not. Android is much more configurable than iOS. And while this appeals to much of the user base, it does mean that Apple users are better protected from a security and privacy perspective. Facebook Messenger, with its more than 1 billion users, is a popular alternative to Android’s default messaging app. But Facebook Messenger is not end-to-end encrypted by default, which Facebook itself recommends to stay safe. On Android, that’s less of a problem given that Android messages aren’t end-to-end secure either. But Apple iMessage is very different.
While iMessage works as the default SMS messenger on iOS, just like Android messages, it also has its own end-to-end encrypted messaging option for other iOS users. When Apple users message each other, it is as secure as WhatsApp. That said, when they send messages outside of the Apple ecosystem, you lose this security. Apps like WhatsApp and Signal don’t integrate with SMS, so they don’t compromise on security. As a result, they could not be selected as the default messaging applications without fundamental changes in their operation.
Apple
So Apple allowing Facebook Messenger to replace iMessage, ads, data collection and trackers related issues aside, it would represent a huge step back for the safety of Apple users. Yes, there are arguments for Apple to open iOS to provide a more level playing field for competing apps, but no, this is not one of them. Google’s lax control over messaging and its failure (so far) to offer an end-to-end encrypted option is a flaw, one that was allegedly fixed as part of the RCS release.
As I reported last month, there is still a lot of confusion in the iMessage user base as to their level of security and the difference between those blue and green bubbles, as well as distinguishing iPhone and Android users. My advice is to disable sending SMS from iMessage as a failover when encrypted iMessages cannot get through. That doesn’t stop you from exchanging messages with non-iMessage users, but it does mean that you retain full control over the security of your messages and know when something has escaped the encrypted safety net. Since we now seek to make messaging more secure, opening it up to unsafe alternatives would be a step backwards.
So make no mistake, Apple must not compromise the security of your iMessage users. If you are an iPhone or iPad user, this would not be of interest to you. Unless and until there is a secure end-to-end alternative like the default messenger, Apple must stick with it. Facebook has long promised to fix security holes in Messenger and, as I said before, users should make use of more secure alternatives until it is done.
Facebook’s claim that this is simply an extension of a long-running campaign to open up iOS messages to competition is misleading. This has come as part of the tit-for-tat about ad crackdown and the fact that Apple’s lockdown on iOS is under scrutiny. Facebook has also judged that messaging could be seen as the logical next step after web browsers and email platforms. That is why this move must be taken seriously.
While the exchange of blows between Facebook and Apple will continue to make headlines, this particular fight is much bigger. Apple’s focus on its own iMessage as a default built-in iOS device has become a central part of its ecosystem strategy, and we all know that messaging has become an increasingly intense battlefield given the sticky nature of those apps and the myriad of business opportunities ahead. working. If Apple loses its lock on iMessage, it won’t just be Facebook taking advantage. And if that happens, iPhone and iPad users will lose one of the fundamental security and privacy advantages they currently enjoy over Android alternatives.
