Tim Cook is desiring a "comprehensive federal privacy law" to be implemented in the U.S. in order to regulate how companies manage the personal data of their customers. The Apple CEO expressed his support for such laws while speaking at the International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC) 2018 in Brussels, Belgium.
He also made references to the Europe Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and said that the U.S. should take inspiration from that initiative. In May, Apple launched a new Data and Privacy website in an effort to better comply with the GDPR rules. Cook said in his prepared speech that:
“It is time for the rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead. We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States.”
The Apple CEO slammed “rogue actors and even governments” for taking advantage of user trust while intruding into their privacy, re-echoing his previous criticism of technology companies over the recent spate of privacy issues such as the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica scandal. Cook also urged the technology industry to be more responsible for their devices and services.
In addition, he recommended that privacy laws should be based on four fundamental rights: minimization of personal data, knowledge, access, and security. Cook's statement highlights Apple's growing effort to help protect the privacy rights of individuals amid an increasing commercialization of data but, of course, it remains to be seen as to how successful the company ends up being in this regard.
Source and image: ICDPCC2018 (Twitter)
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