How Apple makes data protection attractive to us – and how it has to justify itself

Glad you read this far! Because that was not self-evident given the subject. 😅

In fact, “privacy” is an afterthought for most people unless spam emails and spam texts annoy them.

Some citizens think they have nothing to hide and therefore carelessly disclose their personal information on the internet.

Others know the risks and dangers, but give up when new revelations are made about data octopuses such as Google and Facebook (Meta).

Then there’s Apple. The Californians know that data protection is not a necessary evil, but valuable: valuable to the user, valuable to the company’s image and therefore profitable to shareholders. And so it has cleverly positioned itself as a pioneer where privacy protection is said to be a top priority.

This week, the Californians are starting a real data protection offensive. The timing is not arbitrary, as we’ll see below. However, there are also drawbacks, most notably the group’s goal of getting a bigger share of the advertising pie.

This post introduces Apple’s new privacy efforts and ranks its marketing promises.

What’s new?

Apple is stepping up its data protection efforts and has come up with some ideas. The requirements in short:

Why is that important?

Data protection is probably not a passion for most people, but a necessary evil at best. You already have enough on your plate in everyday life and don’t want to worry about the corresponding settings on your smartphone or tablet.

To Apple’s credit, they try to keep the barrier as low as possible and provide users with simple tools they can use to effectively protect themselves against rampant tracking and data octopuses.

As a reminder, the protection of privacy is a fundamental right enshrined in law. We are all entitled to it, but we cannot blindly rely on promises. Data security is therefore all the more important.

And that brings us to the optional end-to-end encryption of iCloud backups mentioned above. Even if it sounds complicated to laymen, no one should be put off. Setup is easy. And then the most valuable data – such as family photos, notes and other private files – are effectively protected.

The Open Rights Group, a British human rights organization, notes:

Can a short film about data protection be really funny?

Personally I think so, but of course you can form your own opinion.

If you like the streaming hit “Ted Lasso” shouldn’t know: the English actor and comedian Nick Mohammed gives a masterful presentation. But now he can be seen in a commercial for the iPhone manufacturer instead of the award-winning serial production.

The five-minute work, which was published not only on apple.com but also on the data hacker Google and on the video platform YouTube, is titled:

The film shows how the main character unconsciously reveals valuable information in daily activities. Whether shopping, searching the internet or visiting a restaurant. And of course, in the video, Apple highlights the privacy features built into iPhone and other devices to prevent unwanted data sharing with third parties.

Why now?

is January 28 European Data Protection Day.

This date was not chosen by chance: on January 28, 1981, the European treaty on data protection was signed. Every year since then, the European Commission has tried to remind hundreds of millions of European citizens about the subject.

The US and Canada joined the initiative in 2008 and have been celebrating Data Privacy Day at the same time since then.

So everything is great?

Unfortunately not.

Apple is putting its (good) reputation on the line, says the “Tages-Anzeiger” in a recent article. Ironically, the group, which always advertises with the protection of its customers’ privacy, wants to expand the advertising business. A project that has been known since 2022.

That in itself is not objectionable. But the criticism is mounting as Apple enforces anti-tracking rules in its shielded ecosystem, which mostly benefit the company itself.

Apple in particular has faced accusations of hypocrisy. There are also legal consequences.

The dispute specifically revolves around a data protection feature also touted in Apple’s latest short film: ATT is short for “App Tracking Transparency”.

As is known, since the end of 2021, users in Apple’s App Store have had the choice of whether to allow “tracking” or not when installing a new app.

The Tagi states:

The trick: Apple defines tracking so that it doesn’t affect its own apps, only those of third parties.

De Tagi reminds that tracking and personalized ads are not objectionable in themselves, many services and websites could not survive without ads. This also includes the news portal watson. It is crucial that users have real choice. This requires full transparency and open communication.

Even if Apple assures that its own (rather intensive) collection of user data is not tracked, the aim is to make consumers as transparent as possible – if only for their own purposes.

My personal conclusion: Apple would do well to uphold its excellent reputation for privacy and not fool its customers. Therefore, the richest tech company in the world would also have to do without a few billions in advertising.

Tim Cook and Co. have had to listen to this for years because of a questionable partnership with their arch-rival (mine): It is known that there is an agreement under which Google pays well over 10 billion US dollars per year to become the default search engine on iPhones and others that appear on Apple devices. Apple publicly demonizes tracking — and stealthily collects it.

It should be noted that the French national data protection authority recently fined the company for allegedly tracking the behavior of iPhone users on the app store without their consent. However, the Californians have appealed this decision.

Sources

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