Apple using 'privacy as cover' for advertising push, claims analyst

Apple using 'privacy every bit cover' for advertising push, claims annotator

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In recent years, Apple has made its delivery to privacy a unique selling indicate, going out of its mode to reassure iPhone customers that its information is rubber from prying eyes.

While this stance has been somewhat undermined by the recent controversy over photo scanning for child corruption images (which has been delayed), one analyst believes that the company's seeming commitment to privacy may disguise another long-term goal: to get into the internet advert game that earns both Facebook and Google the king of beasts'southward share of their respective revenue.

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"Nosotros view (the privacy changes) equally a sign that Apple may want to compete in global advertising," said RBC analyst Bran Erickson in a customer notation seen by Reuters. The 'privacy changes' refer to App Tracking Transparency (ATT), an update to iOS fourteen.5 which allow iPhone owners block user tracking.

The company "can utilise data privacy as comprehend while it invests in a search algorithm behind the scenes," Erickson continued, seemingly hinting at an Apple branded culling to Google and Bing.

Apple Search — really?

The idea that Apple might consider challenging Google may audio a little far fetched, and information technology'southward not the only interpretation of the company's privacy moves. Indeed, Reuters notes that while some other firm, Evercore ISI analysts, agreed that "hampering third-political party advertising" would give Apple a leg up in the world of advert, ATT was intended for user privacy, non monetization.

Creating a search engine that works also as Google'southward algorithms is a lot of work, and even well funded rivals struggle to brand any significant inroads. Just this week it was reported that the most searched for term on Microsoft's Bing was "Google".

And Apple's by attempts to interlope on Google'due south territory oasis't e'er gone smoothly, as anybody who remembers the early on days of Apple Maps volition adjure.

And then there's the fact that Google pays Apple tree an estimated $15 billion a twelvemonth to be the default search engine on the company's iPhones. Making its own search engine would put an finish to this piece of cake money Apple is pocketing each year merely by maintaining the status quo.

The flipside, of course, is that if Google tin can afford to pay $15 billion a year for the privilege, then being the default search engine on iPhone must be worth an awful lot to the company. Apple might decide that it wants to detect out how much more than information technology could brand if information technology cut out the middle human. Whether privacy minded iPhone users would stand for it is another thing, though.

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Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing near tech for over a decade, roofing phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are establish all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When non weighing upward the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, y'all'll probably find him tackling his always-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.