Snap CEO Evan Spiegel told CNBC on Friday that while the upcoming iPhone privacy changes will certainly disrupt advertising, this is ultimately the right choice for consumers.
“We feel that we are prepared for these changes and in fact, as these changes are in line with our privacy philosophy, we have never allowed a specific focus on devices, for example, and we have always taken a very strong stance when it comes to our customer data, “Spiegel said in a” Squawk Alley “interview.” We generally see this as a good thing overall for consumers. , even if it ‘s a little confusing for advertisers soon. “
To target mobile ads and measure their effectiveness, app developers and other industry players often use Apple’s Identifier for Advertisers (IDFA), a unique set of letters and numbers on each Apple device. But once a privacy update has been rolled out, app makers will be forced to apply for permission to quickly access a user’s IDFA. It is expected that many consumers will say no, and targeted advertising is expected to be less effective.
Spiegel’s more casual nod to the upcoming change is a very different response than his Facebook counterpart Mark Zuckerberg. Facebook also hosts a large online advertising business, earning almost all of its revenue from ads.
Facebook has once again blasted Apple for the proposed change since it was announced in June, and it has been said to hurt small businesses.
“Apple may be saying they’re doing this to help people but the trends are clearly keeping track of their competing interests,” Zuckerberg said during a Facebook earnings call last week. went. “We and others are going to be against this in the future.”
That’s not to say Snap isn’t worried at all. The company warned investors Thursday in its Q4 earnings report Thursday that Apple’s changes would risk breaking demand after they were implemented.
“The reason we are clarifying some of the policy changes that Apple is making is that they will affect our ability to measure and increase advertising outside of Snapchat,” Spiegel said.
Snap said it has been working with Apple to prepare for the changes, and plans to give advertisers more opportunities to offer their products and services to Snap users directly through Snapchat .
“The fact is that we respect Apple, and we think they are trying to do the right thing for their customers,” Snap chief business officer Jeremi Gorman said on a call the company will earn. “Their focus on protecting privacy is aligned with our values and the way we have built our business from the ground up. Overall, we feel very prepared for these changes, but changes in this ecosystem are usually upsetting and the outcome uncertain. “
– CNBC’s Megan Graham contributed to this report.
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