CES, perhaps the most popular and hotly anticipated consumer electronics show in the world, attracts all major tech company every year.
Except for Apple, that is. For some reason, the Cupertino brand pretends it doesn't even exist and simply doesn't attend. Until now.
Apple just made a sly but subtly appearance at this year's CES via a billboard mocking Google's security and privacy issues. That's one way to make an entrance. To be clear, Apple didn't officially show up at CES. But it sure has made its message loud and clear for all other companies in attendance: iPhone security is topnotch.
Apple Touts Billboard Near CES 2019 Event
The company has placed a giant billboard ad on the side of a building in Las Vegas — the city where CES is held — that modifies the iconic "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" line into, "What happens on your iPhone, stays on your iPhone."
The billboard is strategically plastered on the side of a hotel right next to the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the event is taking place. Below the message is a link to Apple's privacy page, where the company explains how it goes to great lengths to keep data on iPhones secure, including those stored on Apple Pay, Face ID, and health information the Apple Watch collects.
Ahead of CES, Apple Puts Up Billboard Touting Privacy in Las Vegas https://t.co/rWzAD5MdPg by @julipuli pic.twitter.com/VNipObdz2x — MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) January 5, 2019
Android Security
Because of the ad's placement, every CES attendee is bound to see it, and perhaps they'll be reminded of the many security issues the Android has faced in the past several years. There are a lot. The number of malware-infested apps that managed to get into the Play Store, for one, is just the tip of the iceberg.
It's not just Android, too. Alexa has had its share of embarrassing security blunders. There's the incident where it recorded a private conversation and sent it to a different user, for instance. There's also that time where it sent a single user 1,700 voice recordings from another user.
In other words, Apple gets to ride the high horse because first, it can, and second, its rivals have been through grave privacy infractions most of which aimed to non-consensually obtain private and sensitive data from users.
Of course, Apple isn't as perfect when it comes to security as it's letting on. Nobody will ever forget that massive iCloud breach that leaked private photos of high-profile celebrities, for example. If Apple is willing to openly mock Android for its underwhelming security protections, it first needs to assure it's spotless in that department, which it most certainly isn't.
