Apple's most important contribution over the past 50 years isn't what you expect

"Apple's most important contribution over the past fifty years isn't a physical product. Rather, it's a policy-one asserting that privacy is a fundamental human right, and, to protect that right, products must be designed with privacy in mind."

"For roughly the first 20 years of the public internet's existence, most online companies collected privacy-invasive personal data as a central part of their business model."

"Around 15 years ago, the world's largest tech company, Apple, began to embrace privacy. One of the first big privacy moves Apple made was to make its iMessage platform end-to-end encrypted."

Apple's influence over the past fifty years extends beyond its physical products to its commitment to privacy as a fundamental human right. This policy has become increasingly vital in an era where many tech companies monetize user data. For two decades, online companies collected invasive personal data, but Apple shifted this narrative by prioritizing user privacy. The introduction of end-to-end encryption in iMessage marked a significant step in protecting user data, setting a precedent for privacy-focused technology.

Read at Fast Company