Apple Debuts New Privacy-Focused iPhone Billboards in Canada

[MacRumors]

Apple has debuted two new billboards in Canada that underline the company's privacy stance, following a similar privacy-focused marketing campaign in Las Vegas during the Consumer Electronics Show back in January.

New Apple billboard outside Sidewalk Toronto HQ: "We're in the business of staying out of yours." pic.twitter.com/I24iAxkXzZ - Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) 3 July 2019

The new billboards were spotted in Toronto and shared on Twitter by Matt Elliot and Josh McConnell. The first one has been put up right outside of Sidewalk Labs - a Google-owned company - and includes a slogan which reads: "We're in the business of staying out of your business."

The second billboard located in King Street simply reads "Privacy is King."

Oh I get it. It's because it's on King Street pic.twitter.com/3s8dCD6xC4 - Josh McConnell (@joshmcconnell) 28 June 2019

This year, Apple has been heavily promoting its privacy focus compared to other tech companies like Google. Apple's Las Vegas billboard, put up ahead of CES 2019, played on the well-known tourism saying: "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." The sign read, "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone." Apple was reminding the tech industry of its heavy emphasis on privacy, with the billboard offering up a link to Apple's dedicated privacy website.

Apple has also made privacy-focused iPhone ads that have been aired on various TV markets globally. For example, one ad starts with the tagline "privacy matters" and then shows a variety of humorous if not slightly awkward situations where people would want their privacy protected in everyday life.

Apple has long said it believes privacy is a "fundamental human right," and as part of that, it aims to minimize its collection of customer data and disassociate it from an individual user when it does.

Article Link: Apple Debuts New Privacy-Focused iPhone Billboards in Canada

 

[jona2125]

If only they actually did that

 

[cube]

I want to see the BB10 billboards.

Too bad you can't use internet in the US.

 

[dominiongamma]

If only they actually did that

Please explain

 

[apolloa]

This is getting tiresome and is hypocritical.

 

[CarpalMac]

Pretty sure with Apple, Money is King.

 

[lunarworks]

For those not in the know, Sidewalk Labs is a sister company of Google, under Alphabet, that's been awarded a contract to develop a "smart neighbourhood" on some former industrial lands on the waterfront of Toronto. Many of their ideas are pretty good, I've been to their HQ and seen their mock-ups, but there are extreme privacy concerns over it that have the public very divided on the project.

So, it's a very cheeky place to put up a billboard.

 

[Traverse]

They're far from perfect and though we don't know just what happens behind the scenes, Apple has earned my trust more than most companies. The privacy stance started as a novelty, but given missteps by many other tech companies has become, in my opinion, a major distinguishing feature.

Similarly to how people don't mind subscriptions to make sure the app stays in business, I don't mind paying Apple's prices (usually ) to ensure that my data never becomes a part of their financial portfolio. When products and services are free, you have to recoup the costs somehow.

 

[Andronicus]

Apple isn’t perfect, but I think they are currently the best when it comes to users privacy.

 

[BuddyTronic]

Great adverts.

This is a very big differentiator.

It’s very smart for Apple to inform potential customers that Apple is THE company out there that is not living off your private data, and who actually cares about it.

Apple has the best record for protecting privacy so they should, and certainly will, capitalize on that.

 

[TantalizedMind]

Too bad you can't use internet in the US.

Ive had the internet in the US since the 1990’s......?

 

[BuddyTronic]

Pretty sure with Apple, Money is King.

Yes, but to me it’s like making tons of money by being a “green” company when a lot of people are chanting drill baby drill, or trying to tell me that the Alberta tar sands oil projects are cleaning up the environment, or dismissing climate change and CO2... while they cry about their lost oil jobs.

Actually Apple is the greenest company in tech as well .

You can be a capitalist AND do the right thing! That’s Apples credo I think, and winning with this formula is nice to see!

 

[macfacts]

Please explain

The apple app aproval process was reported to take 5 to 10 minutes. Combine that with the news that tons of apps were collecting user info and using background app refresh to constantly send that info the data collectors.

Not enough time is spent to catch "bad stuff". Why would apple want to stop it when they get a 30% cut

 

[nouveau_redneck]

For those not in the know, Sidewalk Labs is a sister company of Google, under Alphabet, that's been awarded a contract to develop a "smart neighbourhood" on some former industrial lands on the waterfront of Toronto. Many of their ideas are pretty good, I've been to their HQ and seen their mock-ups, but there are extreme privacy concerns over it that have the public very divided on the project.

So, it's a very cheeky place to put up a billboard.

I'm not in Toronto, but I've visited - great city. It's a shame that G might deface it with that Orwellian project.

Good spot for Apple privacy ads!

 

[dona83]

Calling Toronto Canada is like calling New York City the United States.

 

[mariusignorello]

The apple app aproval process was reported to take 5 to 10 minutes. Combine that with the news that tons of apps were collecting user info and using background app refresh to constantly send that info the data collectors.

Not enough time is spent to catch "bad stuff". Why would apple want to stop it when they get a 30% cut

Well actually it might make sense. If the dev is forced to start charging users for apps in lieu of ads then they’d make more $$$.

It’s much more difficult to collect data with iOS 13. And some data collection services function as debugging and product improvement tools. The App Review people would need to know which data collection services are to be blacklisted.

 

[vonj]

Please explain

No need to . The FBI & CIA all have access to our where about a 24/7 . Facebook IG Google.com & many more apps used on our iPhones

 

[DeepIn2U]

For those not in the know, Sidewalk Labs is a sister company of Google, under Alphabet, that's been awarded a contract to develop a "smart neighbourhood" on some former industrial lands on the waterfront of Toronto. Many of their ideas are pretty good, I've been to their HQ and seen their mock-ups, but there are extreme privacy concerns over it that have the public very divided on the project.

So, it's a very cheeky place to put up a billboard.

Definitely cheeky!! I will not be connecting to their free Wi-Fi when it goes up along lakeshore.

 

[outskirtsofinfinity]

That’s the most hilarious article headline I’ve ever seen on MR. It feels like April 1 or something....

 

[coolfactor]

This is getting tiresome and is hypocritical.

There's a big difference between having a technical issue that accidentally breaks privacy, and analyzing and monetizing your data as a business model. Let's make sure we keep those two straight, eh? Apple's FaceTime blunder was just that... a blunder, not a mission to collect and analyze data.
[doublepost=1562287735][/doublepost]

That’s the most hilarious article headline I’ve ever seen on MR. It feels like April 1 or something....

Why? You believe that Apple's platforms are not designed to protect your privacy? Design and perfect execution of that design are mutually exclusive. Apple failed with their FaceTime blunder, but they very publicly make a noble effort to ensure your data remains secure, as a policy. Mistakes happen, and we can't twist a company's business goals when that happens.

 

[pika2000]

Pretty sure with Apple, Money is King.

Considering Apple's actions, nope.
[doublepost=1562290888][/doublepost]

No need to . The FBI & CIA all have access to our where about a 24/7 . Facebook IG Google.com & many more apps used on our iPhones

Those apps are not made nor installed by Apple. The one who agreed the T&C from Facebook, Google, etc are the users, so in those cases, the users already gave permission for the data collection.

 

[MacBH928]

I think many people criticise Apple's privacy claims because they think Apple is saying they are keeping everything anonymous and zero data collected.

What Apple is trying to say is that they are not in the business of exploiting your data and gathering more than they need. Ex While Apple provides end-to-end encryption on iMessages other companies will be reading your emails.

 

[apolloa]

There's a big difference between having a technical issue that accidentally breaks privacy, and analyzing and monetizing your data as a business model. Let's make sure we keep those two straight, eh? Apple's FaceTime blunder was just that... a blunder, not a mission to collect and analyze data.
[doublepost=1562287735][/doublepost]

Why? You believe that Apple's platforms are not designed to protect your privacy? Design and perfect execution of that design are mutually exclusive. Apple failed with their FaceTime blunder, but they very publicly make a noble effort to ensure your data remains secure, as a policy. Mistakes happen, and we can't twist a company's business goals when that happens.

Fact, the majority of the freemium apps on the Apple store are analysing and monetising your data, Apple FULLY supports this as it’s been going on for years...
My favourite link again:

http://toucharcade.com/2015/09/16/we-own-you-confessions-of-a-free-to-play-producer/

Hence the hypocrisy of them and their data is private BS marketing.

Or what about Google, the big bad nasty company or Facebook, which people on here are obsessed with the way they track them, well Google is iOS Safaris default search engine. And Apple was MORE then happy to integrate Facebook and Twitter, which also tracks you, fully into iOS. Doesn’t matter if they are not there now, because they were ALL busy tracking you when they were..

 

[matrix07]

Pretty sure with Apple, Money is King.

Pretty sure with everyone, including Google and Facebook, money is king too.

 

[ipponrg]

Apple failed with their FaceTime blunder, but they very publicly make a noble effort to ensure your data remains secure, as a policy. Mistakes happen, and we can't twist a company's business goals when that happens.

Guarantee you that if it wasn’t made public, then they wouldn’t have made a noble effort. One big case that I recall which was the epitome was battery gate.

I don’t buy into the Apple is noble. They usually only fix things when they either get called out publicly, or when people make a large outcry