Apple hammers tech rivals in ad criticizing everyday auctions of personal data
One year on from announcing its AppTrackingTransparency (ATT) features, Apple is doubling down on its iPhone privacy controls with its latest ad detailing some of its features that can help keep your personal data safer.

'Data Auction' by Apple / Apple
‘Data Auction’ sees a young woman named Ellie attend an auction at the back of a record store, where she watches her own information sold off to the highest bidders. From her ‘wonderfully personal’ emails to her drug store purchases to all her phone contacts, nothing is off-limits.
The short film concludes with Ellie deciding to turn on the ‘ask app not to track’ features, and those attending the auction house begin to disappear into thin air.
“Over the past decade, a large and opaque industry has been amassing increasing amounts of personal data. A complex ecosystem of websites, apps, social media companies, data brokers and adtech firms track users online and offline, harvesting their personal data,” stated Apple.
“This data is pieced together, shared, aggregated and used in real-time auctions, fueling a $227bn-a-year industry. This occurs every day as people go about their daily lives, often without their knowledge or permission.”
It was reported in Forbes last month that Apple’s privacy features will cost Meta-owned Facebook $12.8bn in 2022.
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