Google Ad Tech May Break Up; Apple Threaten to Ban Damus Over Bitcoin Tipping

In today's ExchangeWire new's digest: Google may be forced to sell off part of its ad tech business; Apple threatens to remove Damus from the App Store over Bitcoin tipping; and a study finds that the majority of APAC consumers prefer dealing with companies who collect their data directly.

Google may have to break up ad business

Google may have to sell part of its ad tech business after the EU Commission ruled that it had engaged in anti-competitive practices. The EU’s competitions tsar Margrethe Vestager said that a behavioural change may not be enough to fix the issues, making a partial sell off necessary.

In other Google news, the search giant has put the European launch of Bard on hold after encountering scrutiny from the Irish Data Protection Commission. The privacy regulator said that the tech giant had not been provided the appropriate information ahead of the launch.

Damus could face App Store removal over Bitcoin tipping

Apple has threatened to take Damus off the App Store if it doesn’t remove the capacity to tip using Bitcoin. The iPhone-maker told the web3 social app that all tips must be made through its in-app purchase journey, which charges a 30% commission.

This isn’t the first time the tech giant has clashed with blockchain-based app providers over direct sales through the App Store, with the firm declining to make NFTs exempt from its fee structure. Crypto proponents, including Jack Dorsey, have spoken out in support of Damus, with the Twitter founder publicly appealing to Tim Cook to review the decision.

72% of APAC consumers avoid cookies

Nearly three quarters of web users in Asia Pacific avoid visiting websites that use third-party cookies. That’s according to a report from Twilio, which also found that 64% of people in the region are more likely to engage with brands that collect data from them directly.

The study, which surveyed 1,500 consumers from across Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, and Singapore, found that 64% are more inclined to share personal information with brands who are upfront about data breaches and proactive about avoiding them. Over half reported finding personalised advertising helpful post-purchase, while 42% find it helpful generally.

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Fact of the Day

36% – the proportion of European web users who changed their internet settings to restrict cookies in 2021.

Source: Eurostat