Apple’s privacy ad armageddon helps familiar tech giants

What some have called the mobile advertising Armageddon is finally upon us. Starting on Monday, Apple Inc. will put in place new privacy protocols that will make it much harder for apps to gather user data for personalizing digital ads. The change will have vast ramifications for how the app economy works and alter the dynamics of power among the top platforms, advertisers and app developers. But it also comes at a pivotal moment for the industry: Just when governments around the world are looking to clamp down on the rising dominance of the largest technology companies, Apple’s latest initiative could further strengthen the hand of those same giants at the expense of smaller rivals.