Apple’s software update could eat into Facebook’s bottom line

Starting this week, a new update on Apple devices will let users decide whether apps like Facebook can track their data. Photo by Alexander Kirch/Shutterstock.

This week, Apple released a software update that would let its device users decide whether to share their data and activities with apps and websites. The update could spell trouble for companies whose business models rely on ad revenue, like Facebook. 

“One of the dirty secrets of digital advertising is that a lot of these companies, and especially the big digital advertising companies like Google and Facebook, track us across the internet and across our phones,” says New York Times reporter Jack Nicas.