Do You Trust Apple w/ Your Privacy?

[TSE]

No. Because while I think while Cook & the current people running it may have our best interest in mind when it comes to privacy, that doesn't mean a future Apple run by someone else will do the same. At the same time, what choice do I really have? With the rise of the internet, privacy is no more. The only thing we can do is vote with our dollars for companies who try to give us as much as they possibly can.

 

[HappyDude20]

No. Because while I think while Cook & the current people running it may have our best interest in mind when it comes to privacy, that doesn't mean a future Apple run by someone else will do the same. At the same time, what choice do I really have? With the rise of the internet, privacy is no more. The only thing we can do is vote with our dollars for companies who try to give us as much as they possibly can.

And with that in mind, Apple already has so much money reserved that they can easily buy out upcoming young ethical startups or beat newcomers by simply throwing cash around... whether it be the current people running Apple or whoever does in the future.

 

[a2jack]

CE3. The genie is out of the bottle for our privacy, It's a marketing tool now.

Don't know how you tied in environmental issues to my post, but that battle we can still win. I believe in science. a2

 

[sracer]

In this day and age, skepticism is understandable—the difference is that Apple’s reputation and in large part business model are based upon its assurances being more than marketing fluff.

History is also on Apple’s side here (versus many other companies who have tried to sell us on “privacy” only to be discovered they were actually selling our privacy).

Which will make it more dangerous to customers when (not if) Apple relents on their privacy policy and practice.

 

[MacNut]

I don't trust any company to keep my information safe as they are all careless with private personal information.

 

[Carrotcruncher]

Great old thread, how do you feel about your privacy now with Apple introducing Noncesearch in IOS 15?

 

[HappyDude20]

Great old thread, how do you feel about your privacy now with Apple introducing Noncesearch in IOS 15?

the answer is a resounding NO. in fact, the sentiment in my initial post was that at the end of the day, even with the most best intentions and strongest of security features… there can and always be some way, somehow that someone may want to access you stuff.

what’s going on with Apple currently is a reminder that you can’t even trust the one company that states privacy is their most important feature.

 

[Handsome Bacon]

Not anymore.

 

[blueflame]

TIME WILL TELL. Apple needs to walk back. Apple made a mistake and can listen and change. they had good intentions, but bad Implementation. walk back and I will have a lot of respect. move forward; I am on of the new masses who will no longer feed apple my money. it will be hard. sad. but necessary. I was loyal to the company BC of their stance on privacy. I feel betrayed. I can only hope that 10%+ of people feel the same way. no way they will stand for a 10% hit on the US market.

I truly hope they do.

right now, my answer is a resounding NO. such a sharp switch from 3 days ago.

 

[HappyDude20]

I feel Steve Jobs quote about Tim Cook not being a products guy applies here. I mean, Steve Jobs was invested differently in the company and saw the responsibility.

I really believe Tim Cook just wants to be remembered as a successful successor to the worlds most influential company of all time. And that means continuing to grow the company’s revenue and bottom line.

Steve Jobs knew that every single device he shipped out had the potential to not only change the world, but change so much more.

Tim Cook just wants to introduce new stuff every year and focus on the successful stuff while disregarding that these devices are affecting us in so many deeper ways than anyone could have dreamed of 15 years ago

 

[pshufd]

No.

A company is a collection of people. As Google discovered, individual employees could violate corporate privacy rules.

Companies can make mistakes and release your information by accident.

Companies can hire contractors with subpar security. My information has been released a few times via this route.

Companies can make money off of your data and have a strong financial incentive to do so.

I used to work for a company that swept up a ton of credit card and other data because their systems were used at point of sale. The amount of data collected on us is enormous.

So just assume that what you do is known and act accordingly.

 

[I7guy]

No.

A company is a collection of people. As Google discovered, individual employees could violate corporate privacy rules.

Companies can make mistakes and release your information by accident.

Companies can hire contractors with subpar security. My information has been released a few times via this route.

Companies can make money off of your data and have a strong financial incentive to do so.

I used to work for a company that swept up a ton of credit card and other data because their systems were used at point of sale. The amount of data collected on us is enormous.

So just assume that what you do is known and act accordingly.

The question should be: "Does Apple have customers' best interest at heart, when they discuss privacy"? That's different than discussing rogue employees, mistakes in process, mistakes in equipment configuration that leads to breaches etc. Does Apple sell our PII to make a buck? Can we opt out if they do?

 

[pshufd]

The question should be: "Does Apple have customers' best interest at heart, when they discuss privacy"? That's different than discussing rogue employees, mistakes in process, mistakes in equipment configuration that leads to breaches etc. Does Apple sell our PII to make a buck? Can we opt out if they do?

My feeling is that Apple sells privacy to increase long-term profits and shareholder value. Basically doing what companies are supposed to do. Companies can change how they do things in the future - if they determine that they can make a lot of money selling customer data, they could certainly do so. There are lots of cloud-based companies that have been bought out or merged with other companies where the acquiring company gets the data of the old company and they could have a different philosophy on how to treat customer data.

I think that Apple does a better job and sells privacy but I don't think that they are perfect and there is always the siren song of money for data tempting them. If they are making more money selling stuff because people want privacy, then we may continue to see them working on privacy. This CSAM thing, is in a different category as I don't see Apple making money off of it.

 

[Carrotcruncher]

the answer is a resounding NO. in fact, the sentiment in my initial post was that at the end of the day, even with the most best intentions and strongest of security features… there can and always be some way, somehow that someone may want to access you stuff.

what’s going on with Apple currently is a reminder that you can’t even trust the one company that states privacy is their most important feature.

I agree with you, thanks everyone for your thoughts, its interesting to look back on these old threads and see even back then how close it resembles discussions and directions now.

 

[retta283]

I can follow up my 2 year old post by clarifying my point. I was willing to believe that Apple was overall more privacy-oriented than Google or many other companies, but I was unwilling to trust that they would not violate their users' privacy. Now as we can see that turns out to be the case.

Whether they have good intentions or just love the PR their privacy stance gave them before the current fiasco, I cannot say. I have come to believe there are little moral standards in mega corps, but doesn't mean there can't be an exception to the rule.

For myself, the recent events will not put an end to my usage of Apple devices, but it will hasten the inevitable day when I move my productivity elsewhere, as has been slowly happening for the last year or more in my case. Now that I see Apple can certainly overstep privacy boundaries, one less reason to feel comfortable hanging around them.