Apple Highlights iPhone's Latest Privacy Features in New 'Data Auction' Ad

[MacRumors]

Apple today shared a new ad highlighting iPhone privacy features like App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection that are designed to give users more transparency and control when it comes to their personal data being collected.

The ad revolves around a young woman named Ellie who discovers that her personal data is being sold at an auction house, with bids being placed on her iPhone's emails, purchase history, location data, contacts, browsing history, and more. Upon realizing that her data is being sold, Ellie makes use of App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection, at which point the auctioneer and bidders suddenly begin to vanish into thin air.

In a white paper last year, Apple said that the average mobile app has six embedded trackers from third-party companies for the "sole purpose of collecting and tracking people and their personal information," fueling an industry valued at $227 billion per year. Apple's message behind its new ad is that the iPhone allows users to limit this tracking.

App Tracking Transparency, for example, allows users to choose whether an app can track their activity across other companies' apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing information with data brokers. On devices running iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, or later, apps that wish to track a user based on their device's unique advertising identifier can only do so if the user allows it when prompted.

In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection prevents email senders from learning information about a user's email activity. When the feature is enabled, it hides the user's IP address and prevents senders from seeing if the user opened their emails. The feature was introduced as part of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8.

The ad comes as Apple has been advocating against regulations like the European Union's proposed Digital Markets Act, which would require Apple to allow sideloading of apps on the iPhone outside of the App Store. In recent months, Apple's CEO Tim Cook and software engineering chief Craig Federighi have both argued that sideloading would expose iPhone users to privacy and security risks.

Alongside the ad, Apple said it will be launching a billboard campaign in select U.S. cities with the slogan "Privacy. That's iPhone."

Article Link: Apple Highlights iPhone's Latest Privacy Features in New 'Data Auction' Ad

 

[Derekuda]

"Unless it's your photos... then we can scan them. And if you message anyone who isn't on imessage because we won't release it to all other platforms" - Apple

 

[blueflame]

"Unless it's your photos... then we can scan them. And if you message anyone who isn't on imessage because we won't release it to all other platforms" - Apple

yep. Apple & Privacy are hollow

 

[4jasontv]

"Unless it's your photos... then we can scan them. And if you message anyone who isn't on imessage because we won't release it to all other platforms" - Apple

Apple is selling photo data and text messages?

 

[code-m]

Apple today shared a new ad highlighting iPhone privacy features like App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection that are designed to give users more transparency and control when it comes to their personal data being collected.

The ad revolves around a young woman named Ellie who discovers that her personal data is being sold at an auction house, with bids being placed on her iPhone's emails, purchase history, location data, contacts, browsing history, and more. Upon realizing that her data is being sold, Ellie makes use of App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection, at which point the auctioneer and bidders suddenly begin to vanish into thin air.

In a white paper last year, Apple said that the average mobile app has six embedded trackers from third-party companies for the "sole purpose of collecting and tracking people and their personal information," fueling an industry valued at $227 billion per year. Apple's message behind its new ad is that the iPhone allows users to limit this tracking.

App Tracking Transparency, for example, allows users to choose whether an app can track their activity across other companies' apps and websites for the purposes of advertising or sharing information with data brokers. On devices running iOS 14.5, iPadOS 14.5, tvOS 14.5, or later, apps that wish to track a user based on their device's unique advertising identifier can only do so if the user allows it when prompted.

In the Mail app, Mail Privacy Protection prevents email senders from learning information about a user's email activity. When the feature is enabled, it hides the user's IP address and prevents senders from seeing if the user opened their emails. The feature was introduced as part of iOS 15, iPadOS 15, macOS Monterey, and watchOS 8.

The ad comes as Apple has been advocating against regulations like the European Union's proposed Digital Markets Act, which would require Apple to allow sideloading of apps on the iPhone outside of the App Store. In recent months, Apple's CEO Tim Cook and software engineering chief Craig Federighi have both argued that sideloading would expose iPhone users to privacy and security risks.

Alongside the ad, Apple said it will be launching a billboard campaign in select U.S. cities with the slogan "Privacy. That's iPhone."

Article Link: Apple Highlights iPhone's Latest Privacy Features in New 'Data Auction' Ad

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[danbalsh]

good ad, I liked it.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Privacy. That’s iPhone.

I really hope Apple stands behind this message. Action speaks louder than words or this data auction ad.

 

[Derekuda]

Apple is selling photo data and text messages?

Never said they did. But they aren't as "privacy focused" as their marketing loves to lie to consumers.

 

[desslr]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

 

[gaximus]

"Unless it's your photos... then we can scan them. And if you message anyone who isn't on imessage because we won't release it to all other platforms" - Apple

Apple doesn't scan photos, your phone scans your photos, on your phone, and not sold. And they canceled that "feature"

 

[oneMadRssn]

Apple doesn't scan photos, your phone scans your photos, on your phone, and not sold. And they canceled that "feature"

Fwiw, it's also scanned on iCloud photos (on Apple's servers). That feature has not been cancelled, it's alive and kicking for years now.

However, it's a false equivalency. This ad is about selling private data on the open market. It is indisputable that Apple doesn't do this with photos or anything really.

 

[Android_IOS_GUY]

Hate apple's privacy ads. Very misleading!!!!

 

[winxmac]

Apple doesn't scan photos, your phone scans your photos, on your phone, and not sold. And they canceled that "feature"

They "cancelled" that feature...

 

[gaximus]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers open habits.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.

Why!

It’s worthless data.

But helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

So then it's not worthless, it's useful to your company. You probably use the open habits to detect if its a real address and that is valuable information that can be sold, and companies do sell that information.

 

[gaximus]

Fwiw, it's also scanned on iCloud photos (on Apple's servers). That feature has not been cancelled, it's alive and kicking for years now.

Source?

 

[centauratlas]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

I understand why you'd want to know that, but whether or not anyone is selling it directly, it really isn't anyone else's business who has opened the email or not unless that person agrees. Later one can say we have "X% engagement on this type of campaign" to sell a product though.

To me, the fact that it is being tracked is the issue because the data is out there then whether or not a particular company aggregates it or not, someone may be pulling out individual data for other nefarious purposes. Whether that person is internal or external to the company.

 

[rpmurray]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

Yeah, all Apple is doing is making it more difficult for people who want to make a quick buck selling the personal data on the buying habits of individual consumers for "targeted ads" that are no more targeted than all the other spam we get. If the ads were targeted they'd also know when we were uninterested and not going for the clickbait after vomiting it at us a thousand times.

 

[needsomecoffee]

Again, Apple has very carefully worded ATT to eliminate "...third parties...". Apple is "...the first party..." to your data. So Apple can do what it pleases with your data for its revenue projects. Be wary of Apple's PR/Mktg.

 

[ouruniverse06131986]

What I’m afraid is that I have tons and tons of family pictures from vacations over the years and my kids got in pools and beaches obviously and I’m scare that CSAM or whatever the hell is call would easily mistaken it for child P…n.

 

[Android_IOS_GUY]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

I hate apple's privacy ads. Very misleading in my opinion.

 

[centauratlas]

Apple doesn't scan photos, your phone scans your photos, on your phone, and not sold. And they canceled that "feature"

That is a distinction without a difference. Whether Apple scans your photos or Apple software on an Apple iPhone scan your photos and then could report back is irrelevant.

They did not stop development on some of that "feature" and I haven't seen them say it is canceled, MacRumors said back in December 2021:

Update: Apple spokesperson Shane Bauer told The Verge that though the CSAM detection feature is no longer mentioned on its website, plans for CSAM detection have not changed since September, which means CSAM detection is still coming in the future.

"Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers, and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features," Apple said in September. ( https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/15/apple-nixes-csam-references-website/ )

So I wouldn't count on it being canceled just yet. Just "improved".

In fact, 21 April 2022 one sees:

CSAM detection features are also being added to Apple apps such as Siri, Spotlight and Safari Search. These apps will intervene if the user searches for queries related to child exploitation.

see https://www.siliconrepublic.com/enterprise/apple-csam-child-safety-sexual-abuse-material-uk-privacy

Not to mention the recent stories about the EU and requiring it.

 

[Freida]

I think we can all agree that more havoc is needed. What I do with my email etc. is none of anyones business. Email marketing should have ZERO of my data unless I provide it to them willingly.

So if anything, Apple is not doing enough. There needs to be more.

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

 

[4jasontv]

Never said they did. But they aren't as "privacy focused" as their marketing loves to lie to consumers.

I would disagree. Privacy is a relative statement, not an absolute one. Even if Apple let people access your messages or photos (which they don't) it's still privacy-focused compared to the most commonly used OS on desktop and mobile.

This ad, however, seems to be about selling data - not collecting it. So your statement has nothing to do with this ad.

 

[farmboy]

I work in email marketing and the unnecessary Apple Mail privacy changes are causing havoc. So unwarranted and a detriment to the customer - all Apple want to do is make life difficult for other tech firms.

I find this advert misleading - it implies we as a business sell on info about a customers email engagement, unhelpful fear mongering.

We don’t.
Nor does any other company.
Why!
It’s worthless data.
When you have millions of customers in your CRM program you aggregate the stats. It helps us understand as a channel how we are doing.

I look forward to Apple putting this ad up in traditional media so I can file a complaint with the ASA.

If the Apple Mail privacy is "unnecessary" and "unwarranted", and your firm does not use the data, why do you care?

 

[DTphonehome]

What I’m afraid is that I have tons and tons of family pictures from vacations over the years and my kids got in pools and beaches obviously and I’m scare that CSAM or whatever the hell is call would easily mistaken it for child P…n.

Look up how CSAM works. It compares your pictures (in a hashed form) to known images in a database. The match has to be identical. So your personal pics would never be flagged. Plenty of people have pics of their kids in the bath, etc. They wouldn't be flagged because they aren't in the hashed database.