That’s none of your business, ? is the rather crude concept Apple has chosen for an iPhone advertising campaign. The video is all about a “stay away” attitude and portrays signs of banning, shredding documents and – in the end – a padlock that turns into a bitten apple, the company’s trademark.
From a subject whose only (legitimate) objective is to sell as many products as possible, one cannot expect him to take into account the complex debate on the nature – and even before that on the very existence – of the right to privacy, and therefore one cannot complain that he has used a concept that is obsolete and unsuitable in our times.
What matters, however, is that Apple’s choice to support the thesis that “privacy” is equivalent to “secret” reinforces the claim of the detractors of this right according to which supporting privacy means helping paedophiles and terrorists to commit their wickedness. Ola Bin’s arrest is one of the most recent events that fits dramatically into this debate.
But why would – or should – a company be concerned about the human rights implications of an advertising campaign?
What do matter is to sell, not to philosophize…