Brief: Apple Throws Down The Privacy Gauntlet

On September 17, 2014, Apple's chief executive officer, Tim Cook, published a letter detailing Apple's commitment to customer privacy. The unfortunate timing of Apple's highly public and embarrassing iCloud celebrity hacking incident — just before the launch of the iPhone 6, Apple Pay, and the Apple Watch — undoubtedly played a part in compelling this letter's release. Moreover, like other tech giants, Apple wants to assure concerned customers around the world that it doesn't willingly participate in or condone widespread government surveillance efforts. Apple doesn't want to just rebuild customer confidence, it wants to turn privacy into a competitive differentiator by drawing sharp contrasts between itself and tech rivals — especially those who generate the bulk of their revenues by monetizing customer data. In this report, we provide Forrester's analysis of Apple's new stance on customer security and privacy, highlight the new security features of iOS 8, and break down what it means for security and risk (S&R) professionals.