Recently, Apple released a seemingly innocuous software update: a new privacy feature that would explicitly ask iPhone users whether an app should be allowed to track them across other apps and sites. 

For Facebook, however, this feature is anything but innocuous — it strikes at the heart of the company’s business model.

The dispute represents a further deterioration in the frosty relations between the two companies. What’s at the heart of this conflict, and why have the stakes become so high for both sides? 

Guest: Mike Isaac, a technology correspondent for The New York Times. 

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Background reading: 

• The chief executives of Facebook and Apple have opposing visions for the future of the internet. Their differences have recently escalated.
• With Apple’s latest mobile software update, we can decide whether apps monitor and share our activities with others. Here’s what to know.

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

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