Apple has issued a warning to iPhone users, urging them to stop using the Google Chrome browser, citing concerns over digital privacy threats.
The warning was delivered through an awareness video that did not explicitly name Google but clearly targeted the world’s most popular browser.
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The video, titled "Privacy on iPhone: Flock," is a satirical take on Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film "The Birds," portraying how third parties can track users’ activities through web browsers.
The title "Flock" refers to Google's former advertising tracking technology "FLoC" (Federated Learning of Cohorts), which allowed advertisers to target users without directly tracking individuals — a system that Google eventually abandoned in favor of even less privacy-protective technologies.
In the video, users are shown being monitored by surveillance cameras while browsing the internet, with the harassment stopping once they switch to Safari, Apple’s built-in browser on iPhones.
This warning follows Google's recent announcement that it is backing away from its plan to phase out third-party cookies in Chrome — a reversal from its earlier promise to move away from the controversial tracking technology.
Cookies remain a central tool in the digital advertising ecosystem, generating billions of dollars annually for Google by enabling targeted advertising through user tracking.
Security experts have validated Apple’s claims regarding Safari’s superior privacy protections. Ellie Hancock, a specialist at Private Internet Access, confirmed that Safari provides better privacy safeguards compared to Chrome, although Chrome continues to lead in speed and overall performance.
It is worth noting that tracking cookies are not inherently malicious; however, they can lead to the leakage or theft of sensitive data. As a result, iPhone users who continue to use Chrome may be more vulnerable to tracking unless they use Incognito Mode or regularly delete their cookies manually.
