Apple chief executive Tim Cook said that there should not have to be a trade-off between national security and personal privacy.
Posted on 02/13/2015 5:07:05 PM PST by Swordmaker
Summary:The Apple boss said people have entrusted the company with their most personal bits of information. "We owe them nothing less than the best protections we can possibly provide."
In a speech as part of a cybersecurity summit hosted by The White House at Stanford University, the Apple boss said history has shown that sacrificing rights to privacy can have "dire consequences" on society.
"We risk something far more valuable than money. We risk our way of life," he said.
"We shouldn't have to trade our security for all of this information at our fingertips. When a system is designed properly, security and convenience can actually work in harmony," he added.
The summit is President Obama's opportunity to make the case for a collaborative approach to protecting private industry from cyberattacks at a cybersecurity summit at Stanford University.
Obama signed an executive order Friday allowing private companies and technology firms to share more cyber-threat data with each other and government agencies. It comes in the wake of recent high profile hacks against Sony Pictures and health insurance firm Anthem.
But Cook was the only Silicon Valley chief executive to attend the cybersecurity summit, with leaders from Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and Facebook choosing to send senior security executives in their places -- possibly because of continued anger over historical government intrusions into their systems.
Cook's critique comes almost two years after NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden disclosed wide-ranging domestic surveillance programs that tapped data from Silicon Valley companies. Apple was named in the leaked slides that detailed the PRISM surveillance program.
"Our customers' trust means everything to us. And we've spent decades earning that trust," Cook said.
He also reiterated the company's business model is not focused on collecting user data or selling that information to advertisers or third-parties.
"We know hackers are trying everything they can to steal your data," Cook said. "The personal impact on these breaches can be devastating."
In other news, Cook -- signaling a thawing of relations with the government -- said Apple Pay will later this year allow mobile payments from federal institutions, like national parks.
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I just did a search for this and was just about to post it ... :-) ...
I’m glad Tim Cook is saying this and I like the stand that Apple is taking on it!
I wonder where he stands on “net neutrality”
Interesting
I would never trust a butt rumper who is in bed with leftwing communists/fascists.
That’s a long-standing philosophy of Apple, from Steve Jobs. Tim Cook may be the voice and face of Apple right now, but the company still belongs to Steve Jobs, as he set up a ten-year plan to keep Apple on track for long after he was gone.
Sounds like another far-seeing character from beyond the grave
Same here...
First, the FCC has no legal or lawful authority.
Second it’s only 3 people....
How can 3 people unelected people do this?
“First, the FCC has no legal or lawful authority.”
When a communist dicktator is in charge, the FCC can implement his agenda...which is what’s happening NOW.
First of all, Tim Cook is gay.
Second, he just got in bed with the feds to share personal data via an 0bama executive action.
Third, Tim Cook is gay.
Cook being gay doesn’t matter to me as long as he’s taking the right stance on this issue ... and I agree with what he’s saying there.
As far as being in bed with Obama, sharing personal data ... actually the government is “on Apple’s case” for NOT opening up data to them ... :-) ...
I don’t think you’ve been keeping up on the latest.
What Cook is saying is that people should “trust” them.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/13/us-usa-cybersecurity-exclusive-idUSKBN0LG2GR20150213
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment.
The order sets the stage for new private-sector led “information sharing and analysis organizations” (ISAOs) - hubs where companies share cyber threat data with each other and with the Department of Homeland Security
The bottom line is that all Obama is really doing is not only promoting data sharing between the government and key private corporations - and one wonders just how reciprocal such sharing will be - but effectively indeminifes them from obtaining and processing such data. “Businesses are unlikely to share a lot of timely and “actionable” cyber intelligence without liability relief, said Mike Brown, a vice president with the RSA security division of EMC Corp.”
Crony capitalist spying ?
Tim Cook is full of Sh88 !!!!
Customer data that is encrypted so that government and even Apple can’t get at it ... is not the cybersecurity threat they are talking about ... LOL ...
It’s hackers and even countries that are compromising computer systems and hacking into business and personal data that they’re talking about. Those aren’t Apple’s customers. In regards to Apple’s customers, though ... Apple wants to keep their information private.
His stand on the issue is correct, and I’ll back him on that one.
Customer data that is encrypted so that government and even Apple can’t get at it ... is not the cybersecurity threat they are talking about ... LOL ...
Data that the Government “CAN’T access is NOT A THREAT” ?
Where have you been ?
I understand that it is NOT what THEY are talking about, but you need to be a little more open to the potential abuse and possibilities that surround this type of relationship.
I’m not a paranoid conspiracy minded person.
What I do understand is what and can be done.
In virtually ALL CASES, what CAN be done is done.
Trust is Government and Corporations that are in bed together for the “Greater Good” leaves me uneasy.
Basically ... encrypt the hell out of customer data, no matter what the government says ... and then cooperate fully in getting Chinese hackers, Russian hackers, North Korean hackers and anyone else putting our electronic infrastructure in danger.
Yeah. Pretty hysterical being lectured about privacy from a guy who just shouted his sexual preferences from the rooftops.
Idiot doesn’t get the irony.
Do you really think that the Government, our Government wants “any” person to be able to encrypt their data as to keep them from fulfilling their mission ?
We have had long standing encryption technologies and laws against allowing other nations from access to them.
This effort is saying that those technologies have been discovered and co-opted by both foreign governments and terrorist organizations that in order to stop them, our Government needs to access the raw data that private companies, Apple et al, have.
I understand the goal and the threat, however I have absolutely no confidence that this new protocol will not be abused for political ends.
Paranoid ?
Maybe.
Like I stated before, things happen because they CAN happen.
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