Facebook vs. Apple: chronology of a disagreement that will mark the entire digital ecosystem

Privacy and two CEOs with opposing views of what the digital and technological economy should be - to which is added a growing mutual animosity - are the ingredients of a battle that can decide many things.

Every so often in technological history, there is a turning point that sometimes without the need to raise too much noise outside the own circles of the people who follow the news of the sector, impact the whole world.

It happened when Microsoft gave in in its attempts to impose Internet Explorer as the default browser - or rather, they forced it -, giving Google the possibility to position Chrome and further strengthen its advertising commitment. Also, when Apple decided to make its own MP3, the iPod. A movement much less referenced than the launch of the first iPhone but that served as a trigger to change the music industry.

Now, a pulse that has more and more bar discussion touches can change how we all relate to our data and the privacy of the internet economy. Or put another way, if data continues to be the great manna or internet is possible where the business is done in, a priori, healthier ways.

It's not just about privacy yes or no

The announcement of the launch of a new version of iOS that will greatly limit the ability to track third-party apps on iPhone users has been the latest workhorse between Apple and Facebook. The update itself will allow users to decide which apps track them to show ads or not even if they are not actively using it. Something that is common today.

Of course, the short update and much the level of Facebook business, based on obtaining information tailored to each of our habits, routines, tastes, and locations through metadata and then showing us advertising. Mark Zuckerberg's company has already seen how it loses capacity in this regard for a few years, due to regulations such as the GDPR, among other things. But Apple's default denial could be a definite blow.

However, it is not a contest where everything is black and white. In a way, there is also an underlying monopoly debate. Apple, which has been fighting other companies such as Spotify, Netflix, or Epic Games for years, could be accused of taking advantage of its ecosystem to weigh down competitors in other fields. Facebook has already sounded complaint bells in this regard, and has said - not without a certain cynicism - that "many small advertisers will be affected."

The internet business model, in dispute

Facebook, in any case, would see its business affected greatly. While Apple, historically used to having a large amount of revenue from its hardware, is in a more comfortable position to carry the banner of privacy.

Apple has historically positioned itself as a protector of digital privacy, defending it as a greater good, while often criticizing Facebook's business model, without naming the company. All of this annoys Facebook, which sees Apple overreaching in a way that threatens Facebook's existence, and is hypocritical, even when doing big business in China, where privacy is scarce. Or your agreement with Google to make it the default browser in Safari. I said nothing is black or white.

What is at stake is how the Internet will evolve and which companies will dominate it. The visions of Facebook and Apple are divergent and increasingly incompatible. Facebook wants to capture and monetize on all possible devices and platforms. Apple wants to lure users into its own hardware-centric universe, in part marketing itself as a privacy-centric company. The outcome of the battle could affect the type of information that users see when they browse the Internet. And the business model itself prevailing in the network.

But up to this point, there have already been many disagreements, simulations of rapprochement, and words on the air for those who want to understand them between the two companies. Something to which is added an apparent growing animosity among its CEOs. This is a timeline of how we got here:

Facebook and Apple: a tale of two opposing companies

The tensions between Apple and Facebook in general, and Tim Cook and Mark Zuckerberg in particular, come from afar. In a way, even his own career is completely divergent. Zuckerberg created Facebook from Harvard with the concept of eliminating privacy to bring people closer together. At one point, more than a decade ago, Zuckerberg went so far as to say that privacy "would cease to be a social norm."

Cook, for his part, who is almost twice his age, made a career at Apple from the logistics branch and as a natural but also leisurely and calm relief from Steve Jobs.

But although at the beginning they could be very divergent companies, they have ended up finding themselves in the competition. Apple's commitment to digital services has made Zuckerberg see them as a growing rival. And we already know how 'Zuck' views the competition, especially if he can't copy or buy it.

WSJ sources have said that since the competition in the market such as chats with iMessage was growing from Apple, Zuckerberg was sowing his animosity. Something that Cook has not helped either, launching from his discreet profile continuous appeals to privacy and Facebook without naming him.

But this has not always been the case. In 2014, Cook called Facebook a "partner" in a context where Android was gaining more and more market share.

However, things went awry as privacy gained weight in our lives. The Snowden case focused on the debate. Apple began releasing more and more updates focused on it, causing Facebook to complain.

From Cambridge Analytica to direct competition

According to some leaks, in 2016 Zuckerberg warned his workers to delay development on iOS to focus on Android, seeing much more profitability and ease of collecting data.

In 2017, an attempt to address tensions through a face-to-face meeting between the two CEOs resulted in a tense showdown.

In 2018, with the outbreak of Cambridge Analytics, Tim Cook said in an interview that Apple "could never have had something like this," directly attacking the business model based on assaulting Facebook's privacy. Today we know from the WSJ that Zuckerberg responded with a letter to his most direct collaborators saying that they had "to inflict pain" on Apple for that.

Later also in 2018, Apple discovered that a Facebook data security app called Onavo violated its data collection policies, and forced it to be withdrawn.

Last month (January 2021): Apple announces that its new privacy feature will be available in the spring and Tim Cook, without naming Facebook directly, told a conference that "if a business is based on misleading users, in the exploitation of data, in options that are not options at all, then it does not deserve our praise, it deserves a reform, "he said.