In his strongest comments to date on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company supports a national data protection law that mirrors Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation. He also slammed companies that profited from people’s data while unleashing powerful, negative forces, including manipulating voter sentiment and inciting violence.
Speaking at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, Cook told attendees that “platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies,” referencing the Myanmar government’s alleged campaign to incite violence against Rohingya Muslims via social media platforms.
Cook said that while “privacy is a fundamental human right, the desire to put profits over privacy is nothing new,” adding “our information … is being weaponized against us with military efficiency.”