Hey Safari, are you listening? No? Really? Well, if Apple says so

Do you often worry about privacy when you're online? With so much of our data floating around, it's only natural to wonder who's using it, why, and what could happen to it, right?

Is this a strategic move by Apple to keep iPhone users loyal to Safari?

Apple’s biggest market is North America, accounting for 42% of its revenue, with about 35% coming from the US alone. Apple holds the largest market share among smartphone vendors in the US. Given this, it's no surprise that stats show (subscription required) Safari, pre-installed on every iPhone, is the most popular mobile internet browser in the US, boasting a market share of 49%.

However, Apple's second biggest market is Europe. This year, the European Union made changes that forced Apple to open up its ecosystem. The Digital Markets Act (DMA) now requires Apple to allow third-party browsers to be used as default options on iPhone, and browser companies in the European Union have seen a spike in users.

For example, Aloha Browser saw a 250% jump in EU users in March after the DMA made Apple show a new default browser choice screen. Other browsers like DuckDuckGo, Brave, Firefox, Vivaldi, Ecosia, and Opera also reported user spikes.

So, it's not surprising that Apple wants to keep iPhone users loyal to Safari, right? A scary ad about privacy seems like a smart marketing move. And, of course, using Android phones instead of iPhones in the commercial is just logical.

Who would advertise any vulnerability of their own devices? Plus, this way, the ad hits two birds with one stone. It takes a jab at Android while promoting iOS, making iPhone users feel secure with their choice.

But is Safari really that secure and privacy-focused?

Safari offers strong privacy features, but it's not a silver bullet. Apple does use several techniques to keep browsing more private, such as:

• Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP): This limits the ability of advertisers and websites to track users across the web.
• Sandboxing: Safari isolates websites from accessing other data on your device, making it harder for malware to spread.
• Limited data collection by Apple: Compared to some competitors, Apple collects less user data by default.
• Privacy Report: This lets users see which trackers Safari has blocked on a given website.

Yet, there's no single "most secure" platform, and both iOS and Android offer various privacy controls. For example, when it comes to iOS, sometimes users need to rely on Apple's judgment. What do I mean? For example, ITP decides which trackers to block, and some argue this gives Apple too much control over user privacy.

Meanwhile, Android gives users the choice to control some tracking preferences. For instance, Android includes a built-in option to restrict ad tracking. This involves resetting your Advertising ID, a unique identifier used for targeted advertising. You can locate this setting in Settings > Google > Ads and disable Personalized ads.

Plus, browsing is not all, right? Even with Safari's protections, downloaded apps and extensions can still collect user data. The good thing though is that both systems allow users to control which apps have access to specific data like location, microphone, or camera. This can help limit tracking within individual apps.

Do I feel safe as an iPhone user?

The short answer is sometimes. I trust Safari and do use it every day, multiple times a day. And, to be honest, the privacy report gives me some confidence that it offers better security. However, it is a different story when it comes to apps.

While I can control permissions for data usage, there are still apps that make me wonder if my phone is always listening. You know what I mean, right? You chat with a friend about a weekend trip to Greece, and suddenly, ads for Greece hotel deals pop up on my Instagram 5 minutes later.

So, after all this, what I want to say is that privacy will continue to be a major issue. Perhaps the only way for us to truly feel secure, whether using iOS or Android, is for regulators to impose stricter measures on tech companies.

But until then, we're left with a tough choice: either limit our mobile usage if privacy worries us too much – which honestly isn't ideal, considering how great technology is! Or we can turn a blind eye and continue enjoying everything the internet, smartphones, and tech have to offer.