Apple CEO Tim Cook calls for privacy regulation of the tech world
While many of the big tech companies are being hit with accusations of privacy violations — or even record breaking fines, in the case of Google — Apple is coming out on the opposite side of the issue. Rather than protesting regulation, as many tech companies do, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook recently called for more regulation of the tech industry. Specifically, Cook wants a “comprehensive federal privacy law,” similar to Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that regulates data collection by tech companies.
At the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioner, Cook said:
Second, the right to knowledge. Users should always know what data is being collected and what it is being collected for. This is the only way to empower users to decide what collection is legitimate and what isn't. Anything less is a sham.
Third, the right to access. Companies should recognize that data belongs to users, and we should all make it easy for users to get a copy of, correct, and delete their personal data. And fourth, the right to security. Security is foundational to trust and all other privacy rights."
Without naming names, Cook called out the common practice — employed by both Google and Facebook — of collecting user data in order to sell it to companies running ads. He also referenced the current political situation, saying that the digital profiles created by tech companies that collect data "serve up increasingly extreme content, pounding our harmless preferences into hardened convictions.”
"We at Apple believe that privacy is a fundamental human right," Cook said. "But we also recognize that not everyone sees things as we do... Every day, billions of dollars change hands, and countless decisions are made, on the basis of our likes and dislikes, our friends and families, our relationships and conversations, our wishes and fears, our hopes and dreams. These scraps of data, each one harmless enough on its own, are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded, and sold.”
This speech by Cook is the latest in a series of privacy crackdowns that Apple has made in recent years. Their browser, Safari, was the first to block third-party cookies by default. They’ve also blocked advertisers from tracking on their devices; blocked Google and Facebook from tracking via embedded buttons; installed anti-fingerprinting software; and kicked out a huge number of apps from their App Store that violated their privacy practices.
Cook’s speech was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube or you can find a full transcript on Computerworld.
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