Apple’s Tim Cook Blasts Silicon Valley Firms for Selling Off Privacy http://t.co/TZwh1fge3A
— Michelle Ray (@GaltsGirl) June 8, 2015Apple CEO Tim Cook has made some of his strongest comments to date on digital privacy and security.
Speaking remotely on Monday night as he accepted the Washington, D.C.-based Electronic Privacy Information Center’s (EPIC) Freedom Award, Cook criticized other Silicon Valley companies that mine users’ data to target advertising and make money. The comments seemed to be directed at tech giants like Facebook and Google, which are known for monetizing user data....
Cook then discussed encryption and how all levels of law enforcement are trying to get tech companies to provide the “master key” into their products and give them access to consumers’ data.
“We think this is incredibly dangerous,” he said. “If you put a key under the mat for the cops, a burglar can find it too. Criminals are using every technology tool at their disposal to hack into people’s accounts. If they know there’s a key hidden somewhere, they won’t stop until they find it.”
Cook added, “We’ve been offering encryption tools in our products for years, and we’re going to stay on that path. We think it’s a critical feature for our customers who want to keep their data secure.”
