Apple has issued a massive warning to all 1.46 billion iPhone users that appears centered around Google Chrome.
The tech giant rolled out billboards around the globe to promote its Safari search app, touting it as ‘a browser that’s truly private’.
Although the ad did not mention Google Chrome by name, it is the most downloaded search browser for smartphones – surpassing Safari by more than two million.
While the chart is a stab at Google, the company revealed earlier this year that it collects data from anyone who uses Chrome.
Apple urged users to switch to Safari amid security concerns surrounding Google Chrome
Apple promoted the safety of its Safari browser – which has nearly a billion users worldwide – on billboards around the world to dissuade people from using the alternative Chrome, which has about 3.4 billion users
The ad has been seen in cities like San Francisco, London and Paris in far-reaching countries including Singapore and Australia, where people saw them in signs, public transit and public buildings.
“Interesting to know it’s not just in Singapore,” one person replied to a post from someone who saw the ad in Australia.
‘On the contrary, imho [in my honest opinion] this is a good idea. It’s a new way to advertise.
“Some people will be curious. Especially those who are not in the Apple ecosystem and may not know what Safari is.’
Another person commented on the San Francisco Billboard, writing: ‘Seeing how Google settles a lawsuit over the fact that its incognito is not so secret, there is literally no doubt that it is playing this.’
Apple’s ads appear to be warning people away from Google, which has faced repeated controversy over its Chrome browser’s storage of cookie and search information.
“Google revealed earlier this year that it collects your data if you use Google Chrome, even if you use incognito mode,” Jake Moore, a global security advisor for cybersecurity company ESET, told Forbes.
“Personal data is so valuable to companies, and when terms and conditions are so difficult to understand, it can be easy for users to simply let companies collect data as they see fit.”
However, a Google spokesperson told DailyMail.com that the company strives to keep people’s data secure by default and ensure that users can control when and how their data is used in Chrome to personalize the experience their internet browsing.
“We believe users should always be in control, which is why we’ve built easy-to-use privacy and security settings right into Chrome.”
The ad was promoted in cities such as San Francisco, London and Paris in far-reaching countries including Singapore (pictured) and Australia.
Apple told users it “respects”. [their] privacy’ on a billboard promoting its Safari browser in Paris, France
The company’s Google Chrome 125 update had nine security vulnerabilities after it warned that a bug would allow a remote attacker to add his own code using an HTML page to destabilize a person’s browser.
A 2020 lawsuit also claimed that Google was improperly tracking users’ web browsing habits when they thought they were visiting websites privately.
Google finally settled the lawsuit in April that required it to delete billions of data showing users’ private browsing activities, and the company will allow people using incognito to block third-party cookies.
“The settlement requires Google to delete and correct, to an unprecedented extent and scale, the data it has improperly collected in the past,” David Boies, the attorney in the lawsuit, told ABC News.