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Comment by core-utility | Hacker News Reader

I'm okay with this. It's nearly impossible to stop every company from collecting your data, but it becomes a hell of a lot easier if you try to consolidate and trust one major company. For me, I try to limit the collection by Facebook and Google by putting more trust in Apple services and features. The alternative to this isn't Apple getting less data from me, it's that same data also going to Google and Facebook.

As an example, if I'm going to buy a "smart assistant", it'll be a Homepod instead of Alexa or Google Home. Not by brand loyalty, but by the nature that Siri may already be capturing all of that anyways so the additional data loss is minimal.

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It’s very naive to consolidate trust and security into a single, publicly traded company, that’s obligated to increase shareholders value.

It works till their business is growing well. Guess what happens when it stops, but numbers still have to go up?

Most people are going to do that regardless.

It becomes not a question of whether to trust some for-profit company, but which one.

Many people feel, and I tend to agree, that Apple is a safer bet than Google, because Apple (at least, at the moment) makes its money via hardware and software sales, rather than advertising revenue. They have significant incentives to protect your data and not share it, in a way that an advertising-centric company like Google does not have.

Of course, as Apple gets into the ad business they will erode this advantage, whether actual or just perceived.

In last few years Apple is attempting to do incredibly successful vendor lock in, mostly in the name of privacy, like forcing Sign In with Apple, content sales via their channels, etc. Leaving Apple eco system will only get harder each year.

They’re slowly boiling the frog.

Note - I do use Apple devices, so I’m also a frog.

I would say it is a safer bet but not by much. What info Apple is keeping is pure speculation though and nobody outside of Apple could verify it effectively.

I mean sure, but google has done zero to make me think they care even the slightest about privacy (security != privacy). Apple at least takes some steps. Trust me when they go rogue I will be just as harsh.

why isn't it possible to have 99% of apps be completely silo'd off from others? essentially a walled garden within a walled garden. Sure a few will need to communicate with other apps, but that should be a user permission and not available "just because"

Except that with Siri you’re getting the most stupid assistant.

100% agree, I was just using it as an example. When I had an Alexa, it was much more well-rounded than Siri is. Living with Siri (or without?) is just an inconvenience of the consolidation.

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