Apple YouTube Ad Highlights How the iPhone Can Protect User Data from Brokers

Apple released a new YouTube video Wednesday showcasing the iPhone’s privacy features. The video shows how data brokers and third parties use or sell the private information of users. But with the iPhone’s privacy feature, users can protect their data.
Apple YouTube Ad Shows How Data Harvesters Collect Data
The new video ad runs for 90 seconds long and features a young iPhone user named Ellie who found a room where a secret auction was being held. The sign leading into the room said “Ellie’s Data Auction.” Upon entering the room, she was astonished to discover people happily bidding for her private data and information.
The video demonstrates examples of user data that data harvesters usually collect and then possibly sell to advertising companies. Ellie’s private data up for auction included her emails, pharmacy purchases, contact information, and browsing history. Although the video depicted the scene in a rather comical way, watching it might give viewers the chills, knowing that it happens in real life.
The iPhone’s Privacy Settings to the Rescue
As the video continues, so does the auction, Ellie recovers from the initial shock. She then realizes that she can prevent all of it from happening through the use of her iPhone’s privacy-focused features. These include App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection.
App Tracking Transparency allows users such as Ellie to allow or prevent apps from tracking activities across other apps and websites. This keeps apps from sharing information with data brokers for the purpose of ad targeting.
Likewise, in the Mail app, users can enable the Mail Privacy Protection setting. When enabled this prevents email senders from learning information about users’ email activities, as it hides the IP address. It also stops senders from seeing whether the email recipient has opened the emails.
Apple’s Stand on Privacy Embedded on the iPhone
Before the video’s end, Apple highlights one essential fact about the iPhone and Apple’s stance on Privacy. Personal data on the iPhone belongs to the user, and the iPhone ensures that it stays that way.
Hence, alongside the video ad now running on YouTube and other social media platforms, Apple will also be running ad campaigns the traditional way. Expect to see Apple billboards declaring, “Privacy. That’s iPhone,” in select U.S. cities.
Tags: App Tracking Transparency, Data Privacy