Facebook VP Nick Clegg makes the same argument as Sundar Pichai when it comes to Apple. Although he thinks he’s making an argument against Apple, he’s really arguing for Apple.
Facebook is free — it’s for everyone. Some other big tech companies make their money by selling expensive hardware or subscription services, or in some cases both, to consumers in developed, wealthier economies. They are an exclusive club, available only to aspirant consumers with the means to buy high-value hardware and services.
Facebook is free only because they sell advertising using customer data. Apple makes money from hardware and subscriptions. It’s precisely because of companies like Facebook and Google that privacy is seen as a luxury.
Check It Out: Facebook VP Nick Clegg Makes a Compelling Pro-Apple Argument
Neither Facebook nor Google has to track you nearly as intrusively as they do simply to sell or display advertisements.
Ads on facebook.com could be based on preferences that you select (e.g. show me ads for Apple products.) Ads on google.com could be based on search terms (like “Apple” or “macintosh”), and those search terms could be made transparent to you. Ads on third-party web sites could be selected by the site owner (e.g. macobserver might choose ads for Apple-compatible products.) Per-user click tracking could be replaced by per-site tracking.
It is my hope that eventually everyone will realize that privacy-violating, sluggish, bloated adtech is largely a waste of time.