Still, privacy and security are dense and complex, making the concepts less-than-ideal for pithy slogans. Oftentimes when marketers try to reduce it to something catchy, the important nuance gets lost or buzzwords blur reality. “The advertising campaigns can make the issue seem more simple or overly simplistic than it actually is,” Aaron Massey, technologist and senior policy analyst for advertising technologies and platforms at the Future of Privacy Forum said.
It's similar to the market for lemons — used cars, not the fruit — Massey told Engadget. It’s easy to make a marketing claim, but it’s very hard for the buyer to confirm that it’s true because they don’t have the specialized skill set to verify it. So, to go along with the ad campaigns, more consumer-friendly privacy awareness is cropping up on our devices. “Companies are recognizing that privacy policies are not enough to really help consumers understand what is really happening with the data,” Cobun Zweifel-Keegan, DC managing director of the International Association of Privacy Professionals said. That includes efforts like privacy check ups that direct you to update your settings with a pop up at login.
It’s been a net positive for privacy and security. More regulation and consumer education has ultimately driven these ads. Still, there are things you should look out for before taking them at face value. While every ad can’t beto the topic, subjective claims like ‘We’re the most secure’ should raise skepticism.