Apple CEO Tim Cook shared his insights at the International Conference on Data Privacy recently and advocated for tough data privacy laws in the US like in Europe. Cook appreciated the European Union(EU) for bringing in a strict regime of data privacy laws from May this year and opinioned that the Trump administration should start thinking in making the US Federal Privacy Laws a lot rigid.
Cook said that technology companies which are collecting personal information of their users in the pretext to offer better services should also make sure that the data collection is being done for good use and is not being negated at any point in the evolution of the technology.
As data protection has become a major political issue on a worldwide note, EU regulators have done an excellent job in leading the charge by setting up new rules for the big internet companies to do business in the region.
Unlike Facebook and Google which gain financial benefits by commercializing the collected data, Apple CEO stressed out on the fact that his company’s business model does not rely on the collection and commercial use of its user’s personal data. Thus, it might never be impacted by the EU’s new data protection laws.
Factually speaking, the government of California is moving to put in regulations similar to that of EU by 2020. And other states such as Texas, Florida and North Carolina are getting ready to follow the suit.
So, Tim Cook feels that due to laxity of rules “Our own info, from every day to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency”.
NOTE 1- Apple CEO Tim Cook is the only guy who has outspoken on protecting user privacy since 2017 and he repeatedly stresses out on the fact that “Privacy is a fundamental human right”. And the company has vowed to stick to the stance of never selling its user data. Hope, Facebook, and Google CEOs, and founders (like Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai) are listening to these words.
NOTE 2- Facebook has recently made it official that it is soon going to sell its user info to ad companies and will allow them to target WhatsApp and Instagram users.
