Privacy is the hot topic at the moment and for good reason. With data becoming the new oil of the world, it does not come as a surprise that so many conflicts surround it. But while most smartphone brands and apps are still tussling between whether to keep the data of their users encrypted or to access it, there is a brand that has been pretty clear and headstrong when it comes to its users’ privacy. That brand is Apple.
Following Felix
Apple has aired a new ad (‘Privacy on iPhone’) to again stress on just how secure the new iPhone is. And it very cleanly and cleverly replicates how apps and smartphone brands otherwise track us on the basis of our day to day actions. A person walks in and orders a coffee, and picks up his order when his name (Felix) is called out. Seems normal enough, but as he walks away, the Barista starts following him. Felix gets into a cab and when the cabbie asks for the person’s details, the Barista actually tells him, because he has the information. When Felix gets out of the cab, the cabbie starts following him as well.
The number of people following Felix keeps increasing and all of them keep peeping into his phone, trying to get his personal data. Finally, Felix gets fed up, picks up an iPhone 12, selects the “Ask app not to track” option and poof! all the people poking their nose in his life vanish then and there.
This is what actually happens
The ad gives a visual rendition to what we otherwise remain oblivious. We as normal users tend to ignore what apps are tracking us and our data, and hand out information and fill out online forms willy-nilly for just about everything – as the ad shows, even a cafe has our name, date of birth, contact number and address. Trust us, it is not a mere coincidence that you start seeing ads of a product all over your social media platforms that you recently Google-searched. This ad actually gives you a glimpse how many apps and even smartphone brands track their users by humanising these trackers.
So, the sea of people you see in the ad are apps and corporations running after you for your data. And then comes the core message: with the iPhone, the power remains with the user and they can choose to stop these apps from tracking one’s data. They can simply make these trackers “disappear” by tapping an option.
Apple continues to defend privacy
Apple has been quite ahead of its time when it comes to the issue of privacy. The brand has focused on making sure that the data of its users remains secure, cannot be infiltrated and is not misused. In a world full of tech products that do not quite care about what happens to your data, Apple has often highlighted its ability to keep your data secure as a USP of its products. The company has released stand alone ads and even campaigns to put forth this point. And the latest one is superb. The ad is very conceptual and still manages to get the message across, which just goes to show how well thought out and presented it is. It not only makes you aware of the perils of sharing information but how important it is to keep your data private.
Smartphones have become the centre of our universe, both physical and virtual and pretty much hold a lot of important data and details, be it our credit card details, emails, social media or anything else. It has become more important than ever for smartphone manufacturers and apps alike to make sure that this data stays safe. In one minute, Apple has shown that the iPhone is capable of doing just that. It feels comforting and reassuring to know that there is a brand that cares about keeping your private data, well… private.
