During a year of lockdowns, it is understandable that we turned even more to smartphones to stay connected. This has led to programmatic-buying digital advertising space automatically, with computers using data to decide which ads to buy and how much to pay for them-and social media becoming even more productive communications. TikTok-the latest social media sensation-has seen a particularly high uptake, with 315 million extra users downloading the app at the start of the pandemic. Its lighthearted content perhaps provides a welcome escape from demoralising news cycles. In other tech news, you might have read about Apple and Facebook embroiled in a public row about privacy. It boils down to the ability for advertising platforms like Facebook to track people's smartphone without adequate permission. Apple's decision to tighten the rules and insist on a clear choice for users means Facebook and other advertising platforms may find some more sophisticated techniques-such as retargeting-will be significantly disrupted.
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