Apple has released a new action-packed advertisement about user privacy starring Hong Kong martial arts legend Donnie Yen.
The one-minute ad, aimed specifically at the Chinese market, was shared on Wednesday on Apple’s Chinese website and its official WeChat account.
Titled “Privacy on iPhone,” the ad shows Yen, 59, delivering a series of high-flying kicks and punches to thwart individuals trying to invade the privacy of iPhone users.
Dressed in a sleek black suit — complete with a modified Apple logo in the form of a padlock on his chest — Yen comes to the rescue when an office worker attempts to sneak a peek at a colleague’s iPhone screen at the start of the clip. Throughout the rest of the ad, Yen continues to successfully intervene during other incidents that involve prying eyes.
The privacy-focused ad arrives as the Chinese government continues to restrict the export of academic, genetic, health and personal data.
Back in 2018, Apple transferred legal ownership of its customers’ data to Guizhou-Cloud Big Data, a company controlled by the local authorities. This happened around a year after a group of suppliers that Apple outsourced work to in China was busted for running an underground operation selling Apple computer and iPhone users’ personal information online.
Previous reports have suggested that some Chinese iPhone users have faced privacy breaches, with instances of receiving unsolicited content through Apple’s instant messaging service, iMessage. According to an antifraud official in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, these incidents may have resulted from iCloud account leaks.
