Apple Produced A Brilliant Yet Unsettling Ad About Your Privacy Being Sold

Video screenshot via Apple

As wary as people may be about the way their data is handled, they probably have not grasped the full extent to which it can be used. The good news is that tech giants are now a little more transparent about data and privacy; days after Twitter unleashed a video game that simplifies its terms and conditions, Apple has released an amusing commercial illustrating the topic.

Explaining data and privacy collection in a way art lovers can reconcile with, the clever yet dystopian spot stars a young woman named Ellie, who finds herself in an auction house à la Sotheby’s.

Only this time, instead of offering up Old Master paintings and NFTs, this venue—called ‘DUBIOUS’—is run by data brokers selling away Ellie’s information.

Video screenshot via Apple

Artifacts like her browsing history, past transactions, and contact list are snapped up in no time at all, an allusion to just how quickly and easily third parties can acquire information from unwitting users.

It’s all happening right under your nose.

Thankfully, in true Banksy fashion, Ellie manages to shred all trace of her information and stop the sales from going through. She taps “ask not to track” on her iPhone 13 and tweaks her Mail Privacy Protection settings, prompting everything in the auction house to go poof.

“iPhone has privacy features like App Tracking Transparency and Mail Privacy Protection that help you control who sees your data and who doesn’t,” Apple explains. It hopes the campaign can shed light on the lesser-known ways data can be used and the options available to consumers to protect their information. 

[via Fast Company and TechRadar, video and cover image via Apple]