Can Apple Be a Privacy Hero and an Ad Giant?
Consumers are going to need reassurance that the company won’t relax its standards on tracking protections.
Personal data at stake.
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Apple Inc. last week unveiled its latest iPhone in a 90-minute glitzy infomercial that was all about hardware. Though the company didn’t talk about what it would do with people’s personal data, it has long been a given that your information on an iPhone is kept private. Its messaging system is encrypted by default, its digital assistant Siri processes commands on the phone rather than on Apple servers, and Apple lets you block advertisers from tracking you.
But as the tech giant seeks to grow revenue from advertising, a business long powered by data collection and targeting, consumers may soon need more concrete reassurances that the company won’t loosen its standards for how it handles personal information.