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Comment by tailrecursion | Hacker News Reader

My guess is over time most free apps that depend on tracking will refuse to work unless allowed to track. And most users will acquiesce, just so they can use an app that they want to use.

Even the Facebook app itself could refuse to work unless tracking is turned on.

It's still a positive change overall, and still affects Facebook but it appears to me the effect will be minor, even temporary.

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The Apple demographic is far more willing to pay for an app than an Android demographic, so the free app model is much less significant.

I'd happily pay five bucks once to never be tracked on some dumb app, and that pretty much is the Apple demographic at this point.

I wonder though, could they and still get approved by Apple? Apps have to have some level of minimum functionality to pass review. You can require a sign in but I wonder if you could require tracking.

Sure, but then the App Store rules will be changed to target such app behavior.

You are right, and not only that: personalized ads are better for users and for small businesses. I’m ready for the downvotes, but this is very much true.

Can you elaborate on how targeted ads are better for users? Do those benefits outweigh the documented harms and abuses, the risk of further harms and abuses?

Can you elaborate on what the documented harms and abuses are, and what the further risks are?

People prefer seeing ads that are relevant to them compared to random ads. This is not controversial, it's very much established.

Of course, the benefits to the businesses, especially those businesses without existing brand recognition, are quite obvious.

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