Apple CEO Tim Cook: 'Privacy is a Fundamental Human Right'

Apple CEO Tim Cook this evening sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN's Laurie Segall, where he discussed everything from his iPhone usage habits to the importance of privacy.

On the subject of device usage, Cook says that when he started using the new Screen Time feature built into iOS 12, he found he was spending too much time on the iPhone. "I found I was spending a lot more time than I should," he said. "I thought I was fairly disciplined about this. And I was wrong."

timcookcnninterview
Cook said that Apple is aiming to provide the tools to consumers to let them make their own decisions about device usage, and what's considered too much will vary from person to person. He said that while Apple wants customers to be "incredibly satisfied and empowered," it's not the goal to get customers to spend all of their time on iOS devices.

I think the power is now shifted to the user and that has been What Apple has always been about - giving the power from the institution to the user. I am hopeful great things are going to happen from this.

Cook reiterated his stance on privacy, and called it a "fundamental human right," as he has done in the past. He said it's "not healthy" to point a finger at companies like Facebook, and instead, we should be focusing on making the web an "unbelievable place."

To me, and we feel this very deeply, we think privacy is a fundamental human right. So that is the angle that we look at it. Privacy from an American point of view is one of these key civil liberties that define what it is to be American.

Cook said customers can trust Apple to be "on their side." "We're the trusted adviser and company here," he said, explaining that people are not fully aware of how their data is being used and who has access to it. "I think this needs to be addressed."

The interviewer asked Cook whether or not he was concerned about machines taking over the world, and he said it's not something that he worries about. Instead, he is concerned about people becoming more machine-like.

I don't subscribe to machines the taking over the world. And I don't worry about that. I worry much more about people thinking like machines then machines thinking like people. I mean forgetting the humanity in things. Forgetting that all of our products should be infused with humanity. Forgetting that we have a broader obligation to society.

Cook said he doesn't consider himself to be political, and suggested that he would not run for political office.

I'm not political. I'm not sure I would really do well in that environment. I think that I can make the greatest contribution doing what I'm doing. [...] I love getting things done and I don't love the political machine in the background. I love Apple, it is the privilege of a lifetime to be leading this company at this time.

He also said that he believes Steve Jobs would support Apple's current trajectory when asked how Jobs would feel "about this moment in time."

In terms of the broader issue of humanity, that was his philosophy. That is the DNA of this company. Apple should always be trying to change the world, and change means make it better. That is the thing that we get up in the morning and focus on doing. And I don't see that changing. That is the north star that keeps us going.

Several snippets of Cook's full interview, which cover topics like DACA, immigration, tariffs, and more, are available over on CNN and are well worth checking out for those who want to see everything Cook had to say this evening.

Cook also did a separate interview with NPR, which covered topics like privacy, rumors that Apple had access to Facebook users' personal information, the new Screen Time feature, and the Trump administration.

Popular Stories

apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses: These 17 U.S. States Offer Them or Will Later

Thursday June 19, 2025 11:28 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly since it was announced in 2021, with only nine U.S. states and Puerto...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
ios 26 call holding

iOS 26 Beta is Hiding a New Ringtone — Here's What It Sounds Like

Thursday June 19, 2025 7:25 pm PDT by
Apple is hiding a new ringtone within iOS 26. The new ringtone is an alternative version of the existing Reflection ringtone, which has been the default ringtone since the iPhone X was released in 2017. It was discovered within the code for the first developer beta of iOS 26, but it remains hidden, so you will not find it in the list of ringtones available in the Settings app for now. It...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Wednesday June 18, 2025 10:24 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the first betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a few days after Apple provided the betas to developers. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software Update. When the...
General Spotify Feature

Spotify Preparing to Launch Long-Awaited Lossless Audio Tier on iPhone

Thursday June 19, 2025 1:46 pm PDT by
Spotify appears to be gearing up to launch its long-awaited lossless music tier. Chris Messina (via TechCrunch) and Spicetify (via The Verge) spotted new lossless references within the code for Spotify's desktop app and web player. With assistance from Aaron Perris, MacRumors has confirmed that the latest beta of the Spotify app for the iPhone also contains new lossless-related code....
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: Five Changes Coming to Your iPhone Lock Screen

Tuesday June 17, 2025 8:46 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has made some additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that aim to make it more customizable than ever. Of course, things can always change before the software makes its way to the general iPhone-owning public, but here are five new things iOS 26 can do on the Lock Screen as of the current developer beta. Widgets Top or Bottom In iOS 18, the row of widgets on your Lock...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Apple Says iOS 26 Won't Be Available on These iPhone Models

Tuesday June 10, 2025 6:58 am PDT by
Apple this week revealed that iOS 26 is compatible with the iPhone 11 series and newer. That means that iOS 18 is the end of the road for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR, which were all released in 2018. However, those devices will continue to receive security updates for at least a few more years. iOS 26 is compatible with the following iPhone models: iPhone 16e iPhone...
Craig Federighi No

John Gruber Reacts to Apple Declining His Interview After His Criticism

Wednesday June 18, 2025 8:10 pm PDT by
Every year between 2015 and 2024, at least one Apple executive agreed to be interviewed by Daring Fireball's John Gruber for a special WWDC episode of his podcast, The Talk Show. Last year, for example, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi, marketing chief Greg Joswiak, and top AI researcher John Giannandrea joined Gruber on stage at the California Theatre in San Jose to discuss...

Top Rated Comments

macduke Avatar
92 months ago
I like Tim Cook both as a CEO and person and I don’t care what anyone at MacRumors has to say about it. He’s not perfect but has good principles and is smarter than most anyone here.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
i75.bjc Avatar
92 months ago
"I'm not political.", said Tim Cook.
How can this be since this TC is the most political CEO that Apple has ever had. He sticks his nose into all the "important" political issues.
I miss Steve Jobs.
Score: 29 Votes (Like | Disagree)
trifid Avatar
92 months ago
Give credit where credit is due, thank you for defending privacy, the new Safari features prove it's not just words. Thank you Tim.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
92 months ago
Perhaps, but getting paid $1B/year+ to do it while preaching about protecting your users' privacy is the height of hypocrisy.
Something tells me you don’t know what hypocrisy means.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
lu0s3r322 Avatar
92 months ago
I don't see Tim Cook as a political person. Maybe relative to Jobs but I'd rather have Cook's advocacy than Jobs'. Things that he's spoken out about are largely about values important to Apple and things that I think most people agree about. Climate change, DACA, privacy, gay rights, etc. I'd rather have someone of his importance defending these important issues than ignoring them. I agree that he would not do well in the political arena though, I think that's more of what he's saying.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
goobot Avatar
92 months ago
Says the guy who negotiated a secret deal to have Google pay Apple over $1B per year to make Google the default search engine on Safari on iOS. Apple may not be invading our privacy but they sure don't mind being enriched by letting other companies do it for them.
Let’s be realistic tho. 99% of people probably would make google their default anyway and it’s not like you can’t change it.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)