Apple's initial contribution to CES is a giant billboard highlighting the company's privacy-related advantages
An Apple-themed billboard, which overlooks the Las Vegas Convention Center that is to house 2019’s first major tech event, displays a legend that is a clear take-off of the old "What happens in Vegas..." cliché. It also includes the address of the Apple privacy website, and faces Google's own extensive external display promoting the Assistant line-up of products and services. This billboard was first publicized by the Engadget correspondent Chris Velazco, who had arrived in Vegas on the 5th to prepare for the international electronics showcase. The wall-sized ad’s clear message is that Apple’s ability to prioritize and conserve privacy is superior to that of other software- and information-providers.
Needless to say, the ad does not name names in this respect. However, it is easy to imagine that it may be directed at other prominent data-handlers such as Google and Amazon. The latter has recently been involved in a scandal in which Alexa software assistants has sent data associated with one user to another by mistake. The former is generally associated with the accumulation of personal data to fuel its business model.
On the other hand, Apple does not have an entirely positive track record in the privacy department itself. For example, the considerable relaxation in its standards that have been necessary for them to sell phones in China has resulted in reportedly increased vulnerability to scams for customers located in that country. Furthermore, recent reports indicate that stricter requirements elsewhere on Earth can lead to the sudden and unannounced withdrawal of apps from the App Store, regardless of whether users depend on them or not. Finally, drawing attention to itself and its recent stock-market and business woes may not be the best move for Apple at this point.
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