Online privacy is one of the most important issues that concern technology companies. Since many of them (e.g. Facebook) have been accused of violating user data, more and more efforts are being made to improve their image and be considered trustworthy. Apple and Google, at the moment, are perhaps the strongest pillars of the smartphone industry. For this reason, special emphasis is placed on user privacy and security .
However, Google lags a bit behind Apple in the area of privacy.
The war between Apple and Google
Recently, Google CEO Sundar Pichai accused Apple of selling expensive products under the pretext of privacy protection.
Pichai said that privacy should not be a luxury good, available only to those who can afford to buy high-quality products and services.
The CEO said that Google cares a lot about the security of its users, but, unlike Apple, it offers many of its products and services for free while protecting privacy.
Google's goal is to create products that work the same for everyone, regardless of profession or background, Pichai said.
Additionally, the company wants to give users the same experience whether they have a high-end phone or a more affordable phone. “Privacy should be available to everyone, everywhere,” Pichai said.
On the other hand, Apple uses the slogan: “What happens on your iPhone stays on your iPhone.” However, a few days ago, some users sued the company, accusing it of giving data from the iTunes application to other companies.
Craig Federighi, Apple's vice president of Software Engineering, essentially responded to Pichai by saying that Apple's goal is to sell "products to as many people as possible" and that its products are "certainly not luxury." He also added that Apple wants to give everyone the best possible user experience.
Regardless of privacy, it's hard to agree with the statement that Apple products are not "luxury." In some countries, iPhone are double and triple the average citizen's monthly salary.
Privacy and Google
When it comes to Google, we've heard a lot about it, such as tracking users' movements, location, purchases, and more. It also often uses user data to improve its apps and services (e.g. Google Assistant, Maps, etc.). In the past, it has been accused of tracking users' locations, even when the feature was disabled on the phone.
Pichai admits that Google uses some data from its users' devices. But, according to him, the data collected is anonymous and only a small amount is used for advertising purposes.
The CEO notes that Google respects privacy policies and gives users the ability to disable the data collection feature.
Privacy and Apple
Federighi was asked in an interview about Apple's decision not to collect data . This choice could have implications for the company and its services. For example, Siri is considered less "smart" than Google Assistant.
For Apple, collecting user data to improve services is not the right approach. Of course, without the data, it takes more work and costs more. “But it’s worth it,” he says.
Conclusion
It seems that the two companies have different approaches to privacy. Apple does not collect user data. It has also created a new tool for Safari that detects ads without invading people's privacy.
Google, on the other hand, tries to combine user tracking with privacy protection. In this way, it manages to offer free services to users.
