• by Shirley Marschall , Featured Contributor, Yesterday

Everyone’s talking about the antitrust case against Apple. Headlines are focused on developer restrictions, platform dominance, and whether Apple is weaponizing privacy to crush competition.

Yes, this lawsuit matters. It may reshape how platforms wield their power. It may loosen Apple’s grip on the stack. But if we’re not careful, we’ll miss the bigger question: What happens when privacy becomes a business strategy — but creepiness stays the norm?

And amid the legal arguments and economic implications, one voice is missing: the user’s. And that’s exactly who has benefited from Apple’s privacy philosophy.

Apple’s Simple Rule: Don’t Be Creepy

Say what you will about Apple, but its privacy stance has always been refreshingly clear: Don’t be creepy. No fingerprinting. No hidden tracking. No behavioral ads through the backdoor.

More importantly, Apple didn't just talk about privacy. The company enforced it.

Whether it was blocking third-party cookies in Safari years before others followed, or requiring apps to ask users before tracking them across other apps, Apple consistently put guardrails in place that (at least outwardly) prioritized user autonomy. Privacy became part of the product — not just the PR.

Was it also good for business? Absolutely. But that doesn’t make it wrong.

The Industry Reaction: A Mix of Applause and Eye Rolls

Many in tech cheered Apple’s privacy moves — publicly, at least. Others grumbled behind the scenes. And now, with the DOJ accusing Apple of anti-competitive behavior, critics are saying what they’ve long whispered: Apple didn’t just protect privacy. It commoditized it.

But here’s the thing: most users don’t care how Apple enforces privacy. They just care that it’s enforced.

They don’t care about SDK access, ad network reach, or tech lock-in. They care about not being followed, profiled, or manipulated by companies they’ve never heard of. And Apple understood that long before it became fashionable.

Privacy as Strategy Isn’t a Sin

Privacy as a competitive advantage? That’s not a flaw — it’s a feature.

If Apple used privacy to differentiate itself from surveillance-heavy rivals, good. Let’s compete on that. Let’s compete on who can be less creepy, more transparent, and more aligned with user expectations.

If “don’t be creepy” is Apple’s moat — let’s widen it across the industry. Let’s make it the North Star.

Because the alternative is sliding back into the Wild West of silent trackers, dark patterns, and data exploitation disguised as personalization.

The Bigger Picture: Beyond Antitrust

Yes, this case could redefine the balance of platform power. It may expose the tension between user protection and market control.

But regardless of the legal outcome, one principle should remain untouched: Don’t be creepy” isn’t just a clever tagline. It’s a moral baseline.

It’s a design philosophy every platform, app, and ad tech provider should be working toward. And if we lose sight of that in the lawsuits, lobbying, and leaderboard metrics — we all lose.

Because when privacy becomes a business strategy, the real winner should still be the user.