Apple CEO Tim Cook is at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection which is occurring now, and he is expected to speak for approximately 10 minutes beginning at 11 a.m. Pacific Time, ahead of a presidential address set to take place at 11:15.
The summit is being streamed live on YouTube and can be watched below.
The White House is expected to unveil its next executive action on cybersecurity at today's summit. The event includes tech executives, academics, government officials, with several panels on topics like payment security, and improving cybersecurity practices at consumer oriented businesses.
Update: During his speech at the Summit, Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted Apple's commitment to privacy and security, once again pointing out that Apple makes its money by selling products and services, not by selling personal data.
"Our customer's trust means everything to us," said Cook. "We spent decades working to earn that trust. Privacy and security are built into every one of our products and services." He went on to detail Apple's use of encryption across hardware and software, and its security monitoring, which goes on 24/7. "We set the industry's highest standards," he said. "And we are deeply committed to living up to them."
Apple Pay was a major focal point of the speech, and Cook described how it's far more secure than a plastic card with a magnetic stripe. He also once again pointed out that Apple does not track Apple Pay data and he announced a partnership with the federal government that will see Apple Pay available for many government-related transactions in September, such as admission into a national park. Federal cards issued to veterans and for Social Security payments will also be compatible with Apple Pay.
Cook also spoke on the importance of government, business, and citizens working together to provide greater privacy and security.
Security and convenience can work in harmony. This is a world of greater privacy and a world where criminals find it much more difficult to carry out their crimes. No single company or organization can accomplish this on its own. We are committed to engaging with the White House and Congress and putting things into action.
When it comes to the rights of customers and citizens, we're all talking about the same people. People have entrusted us with their most personal and precious information and we owe them nothing less than the best protections we can possibly provide by harnessing the technology at our disposal.
We must get this right. History has shown us that sacrificing our right to privacy can have dire consequences.
Cook's speech has ended but can still be viewed via YouTube at the 2:23 mark in the video.
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