Twitter is not worried about future ad tracking changes that Apple intends to implement in iOS 14.5, CFO Twitter Ned Segal said today at the Morgan Stanley Conference on Technology, Media and Telecommunications.
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Segal said Twitter isn’t relying heavily on device ID or IDFA, which will restrict Apple to a new prompt asking developers to get user permission before IDFA can be used for ad tracking purposes. .
We look at the unique signal that Twitter has with a growing audience, with better formats and more relevance and the ability to make better use of that signal, many of which are not related to a device ID. We feel very good about our ability to use this combination.
Segal went on to explain that Apple’s IDFA restrictions are expected to “level the playing field.” Other companies have managed to make better use of the data available to them, but now everyone will have the same challenges they face, giving Twitter the opportunity to compete better with giants like Facebook.
We are in an industry where many have been much better than Twitter, historically using all the data available to them, from device ID to what people were doing on other websites. When we all have the same set of new challenges we face, leveling the playing field will be a really interesting impact for the wider industry.
Twitter intends to wait rather than immediately ask its users if they want to opt for IDFA tracking through a popup. “We don’t want to rush around IDFA,” Segal said, explaining that app developers have only one chance to request access to the device ID. “You want to ask in a really careful way” and “take the time to learn” before “asking a question like that,” he said.
Transparency changes to Apple app tracking are included in iOS 14 and are being implemented now, but starting with iOS 14.5, Apple will apply the rules. All application developers will need to seek permission before using IDFA to track a user on websites and applications, and if a user refuses, developers must respect this choice and not engage in other tracking methods between applications.
Facebook has struggled with planned changes to Apple’s privacy and claims that small businesses will be unfairly affected, but Apple has not thought about plans to implement the IDFA prompt, and Facebook and other developers will be forced to use it after the release of iOS 14.5 in spring .