With iCloud Plus, Apple’s privacy promise is paired with an upsell
Some privacy may be paywalled
Share this story
Apple has spent considerable time championing itself as a protector of user privacy. Its CEO Tim Cook has repeatedly stated that privacy is “a fundamental human right,” the company has based multipleadcampaigns around its privacy promises, and it’s had high profile battles with authorities to keep its users’ devices private and secure.
The pitch is simple: our products protect your privacy. But this promise has shifted very subtly in the wake of this week’s iCloud Plus announcement, which for the first time bundled new security protections into a paid subscription service. The pitch is still “our products keep you safe,” but now one of those “products” is a monthly subscription that doesn’t come with the device in your box — even if those devices are getting more built-in protections as well.