Apple issues warning to iPhone users to delete this app immediately
Apple is warning its iPhone users to delete a common app, claiming it’s a danger to digital privacy.
Without mentioning the company by name, Apple issued a video warning for users to stop using Google Chrome.
In a video titled “Privacy on iPhone | Flock,” parodies Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film “The Birds” to demonstrate how browser information isn’t really hidden from trackers.
“Flock” is likely a play on Google’s initial tracking cookie replacement plan called FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts), which “is a new way for advertisers and sites to show relevant ads without tracking individuals across the web.”
In the video, iPhone users are being followed by surveillance cameras when browsing the internet, and the cameras finally explode and leave the user alone when they decide to use Safari as their browser.
Google initially planned to get rid of third-party cookies and develop a new way to issue targeted ads while still preserving user privacy, but the plan fell apart and the company has chosen to “maintain our current approach to offering users third-party cookie choice in Chrome.”
Tracking cookies aren’t inherently bad themselves, but they can open the door to privacy risks and sometime increase the likelihood of your data and sensitive information being leaked or stolen — meaning if you have an iPhone and use Chrome, you likely will continue to be tracked unless you use Incognito Mode or clear cookies manually.