Users’ privacy is important to Apple. That’s why at the expense of upsetting digital advertisers, the company launched the new App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature on iOS which prevents unauthorized tracking by apps. And just to express why is that important, Apple has released a new privacy ad.
iOS 14, Apple introduced new privacy updates on the iPhone to gives users control and bring transparency to the platform. However, the ATT feature was postponed to give the developer time to make required changes to their apps at the time and the company finally launched the much-anticipated privacy update in iOS 14.5 update. The feature makes it mandatory for developers to “request user authorization to access app-related data for tracking the user or the device” via prompt and the new privacy ad highlights the importance of this new protective layer on the iPhone.
The new App Tracking Transparency privacy Ad highlights how intrusive tracking can be
The new 60 seconds privacy ad, released on Apple’s YouTube channel, very ingeniously showcases the result of sharing ones’ personal information across third-party apps and websites and the importance of the ATT feature to restrict unauthorized access on the iPhone.
With the “Mind Your Own Business” song by Delta 5 playing in the background, the ad starts with Felix ordering coffee from an intrusive Barista, who very conveniently tags along with him in the cab on the way to the bank while a biker tracks his precise location. Later, the three unwanted strangers tag along with Felix inside to the bank to review his financial transaction which is further shared with other employees at the bank.
And by the end of the video, the group of snooping strangers gets bigger and bigger until Felix sees and selects the ATT ‘Ask App Not to Track’ to make them all disappear. With the ‘choose who tracks your information’ message, Apple tells users how ATT update it is protecting them from intrusive apps putting their safety at risk.
The iPhone security and users’ safety have been under a microscope during the ongoing Epic Games vs. Apple antitrust lawsuit. In his testimony, Apple Software Engineering Craig Federighi cited the ATT update as an example of the company’s effort of ensuring that it is a safe device for its over billion users worldwide.
