Apple’s Ominous Surveillance-Themed Ad Is Like ‘Black Mirror’ On Wings

Video screenshot via Apple

Apple looks to Big Brother in the skies with Flock, a stark, almost dystopian portrayal of the online surveillance landscape. Its latest commercial depicts a world where users are constantly monitored by a swarm of bird-like cameras, their every digital move tracked and analyzed. This chilling vision serves as a stark contrast to the promise of privacy offered by the tech giant’s iPhone and Safari browser.

Security cameras everywhere morph into winged foes such as bats and seagulls, swooping over phones and glaring a little too close for comfort. But as these digital predators converge, a user switches to Safari, causing them to scatter in disarray.

The 30-second spot’s core message is clear: your browsing is being watched, but Safari can help stop it. Its features, Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP), IP address masking, and Privacy Report are highlighted as key defenses against online tracking.

You also get the sense that this horror-tinged narrative borrows from the conspiracy theory that “birds aren’t real,” which proclaims that avians are drones deployed by the US government to spy on people.

The film directly challenges competitors like Google Chrome, which recently faced legal repercussions for purportedly misleading consumers about its incognito mode.

[via iClarified, MacRumors, iPhone in Canada, video and cover screenshot via Apple]