No Springtime for iPhone Tracking, Rise of Google Ordering, Facebook's New Topic Exclusions

Apple Confirms ‘IFDA Deprecation’ Will Go Live in Early Spring

On Thursday, Data Privacy Data, Apple confirmed that its App Tracking Transparency requirement, which was originally supposed to go into effect last year, will now happen “in early spring.” It requires publishers to get a user opt-in before sending their personal data to third parties.

Our take:

• For reference, spring officially begins on March 20, 2021.
• While Apple’s so-called “privacy nutrition labels” about data collection are unlikely to have a significant market impact, this move will.
• Expect much less iPhone location data to be available to third party networks going forward.

Corner Bakery Bullish on Google Ordering

Corner Bakery rolled out Google ordering late last year across locations. The entire transaction takes place on Google and the company said it was very happy with the results. Orders have grown on a weekly basis and tend to be “first time digital guests.” Others accepting orders directly through Google include QSR chains, Subway, Burger King, Panera, McDonald’s and Wendys.

Our take:

• Google Maps and Google My Business are continuing to emphasize transactions, and this is a prime example.
• In addition to lower costs, Corner Bakery owns the customer data rather than the third-party delivery vendor.
• Corner Bakery explained that orders through Google are more cost-effective than third party delivery companies, which points to potential disruption of the segment.

Facebook Tests 'Topic Exclusion' for Advertiser Brand Safety

Facebook is testing what it calls "topic exclusions" for advertisers concerned about brand safety on the site. To start, a small group of advertisers will be given the option to avoid appearing near content related to News & Politics, Social Issues, Crime & Tragedy.

Our take:

• Topic exclusion choices will affect where ads appear across Facebook, including in the News Feed.
• Facebook says the test will occur over many months before any potential broader roll out.
• The move comes as brands and critics continue to voice concerns about inflammatory content on the site and the platform's role in enabling disinformation and unrest.

Short Takes

• US household spending declined in December but is poised to increase in Spring, suggesting a strong recovery after COVID is under control.
• Apple’s required “privacy nutrition labels” are still missing from Google apps despite the latter's promised update.
• Gay dating app Grindr" fined roughly one-third of annual revenue over GDPR violation
• Here's Apple’s record quarter visually illustrated.
• Google removes more than 100K negative user reviews of Robinhood app.
• Facebook is reportedly working on newsletter tools for journalists and writers.
• The future of independent news vs. aggregators online.

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