> most people don't care about
> their privacy online
Apple are betting they will do, and I think that's prescient. Only need a few more Ashley Madisons to see a sea change in this area, and a browser that's been ahead of the curve for a long time has a lot to gain.
> > most people don't care about their privacy online
> Apple are betting they will do
No they're not. iCloud is still not end-to-end encrypted; iMessage users still trust Apple to verify identity; macOS and iOS users still cannot verify the source of the OSes they run.
Apple may be betting that people care about online-privacy snake oil.
> Apple may be betting that people care about online-privacy snake oil.
You can't blame people for not fully understanding how their data is protected. Even the average geek gets confused pretty quickly (I know I do).
People also chose their battles. Between facial recognition, revenge porn, online harassment, IMSI catchers, video surveillance, police overreach, and many other issues, they may not think of end-to-end encryption as a priority, but people do care about their privacy.
As techs, we have to do our part in explaining these things correctly, and also making sure we push forward legislation that helps protect people. This isn't something that will self-regulate.
I'm not sure Ashley Madison is the best example. When that leak happened, a lot of the public's reaction was along the lines of "they were doing something wrong, so they deserved it."
It would be more accurate to say "a lot of the public reaction" rather than "a lot of the public's reaction." A lot of the private reaction was completely freaking out and considering the web completely unsafe.
No, Apple isn't betting average users care about privacy. They're thinking average users will not mind it, and they can reach a new audience this way.
The people who want open platforms will want usability like everyone else, but they're willing to sacrifice that if they get an open platform. Open platforms can be studied, understood and verified to be secure. Now that Apple products are apparently also safe and private (they're making a big point of it), the remaining reason is fairly abstract and purely ideological. The hackers and professionals no longer have a justifiable reason for their friends not to get an Apple device, and they themselves might think twice too.
It's another step in the erosion of our values that I'm afraid is taking place. Is it really bad or just the next step in what humanity values and cares about? I'm not sure, but I'm also not sure we can tell until it's too late and power over many devices (and thereby people's lives) is in the hands of a very few, so I'm on the "let's not go that path" side.
