Apple’s Safari curbs surveillance birds from tracking people in global privacy film

Apple has launched a global privacy campaign designed to show how iPhones protect users from constant surveillance in a new film “Flock.” Created by TBWA/Media Arts Lab and directed by Ivan Zacharias, the two-minute film is like a scene from “The Birds” (1963), featuring a fantastical, dystopian depiction of bird-like surveillance cameras chasing and attacking people in a quest to observe their browsing data. The flock grows with each surveillance camera and the tracking becomes eerily unnerving, until iPhone users begin using Safari for privacy protection. The campaign nods to Apple measures that allow users to opt out of third-party app tracking and prevent cross-site tracking in Safari. For the last several years, Apple has attempted to thwart “fingerprinting” on its devices, a practice used by companies to determine a user’s identity. The privacy features have introduced challenges for advertisers, which use this data to target and optimize ads for certain users. Also read: What Apple’s iOS 17 changes mean for advertisers The new campaign suggests the power over surveillance is in the hands of the users. To create the film, Apple and TBWA/Media Arts Lab conducted a study of birds’ movements, behavior and physicality to design the surveillance birds in partnership with House of Parliament and Legacy Effects—the special effects company behind characters such as Baby Yoda and Groot. Each surveillance bird was designed in relation to its environment. For instance, those found near the ocean have seagull-like appearances and are covered in rust, while the cameras perched in dim parking garages are reminiscent of bats. To achieve the cinematic look of the film, digital footage was printed on film stock, and the story was structured as a spy-like thriller. In addition to the film, a set of digital “disruptive” ads appear to interrupt browsers, bringing the message directly to people scrolling internet browsers. “Flock” will appear on broadcast, social media, cinema, YouTube and other platforms. The digital ads will run on digital and social media, as well as publications and websites including New York Times, Condé Nast, ESPN, The Verge, WeTransfer and Cosmopolitan, The campaign comes as Google has postponed its plans to remove tracking signals, or cookies, from its browser, due in part to complaints from advertisers. While Apple has introduced anti-tracking measures, the company still tracks certain user data on its own.

Apple’s Safari curbs surveillance birds from tracking people in global privacy film

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