Tim Cook Calls for US Privacy Law to Protect Citizens From Growing 'Data Industrial Complex'

Apple CEO Tim Cook has called for a tough new U.S. data protection law to protect user privacy rights in the face of a growing "data industrial complex," in a passionately delivered speech in Europe.

Cook argued for the law during a keynote speech given today at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC), which is being held in Brussels. The following quotes were published by TechCrunch.

"Our own information — from the everyday to the deeply personal — is being weaponized against us with military efficiency," warned Cook. "These scraps of data, each one harmless enough on its own, are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded and sold.

"Taken to the extreme this process creates an enduring digital profile and lets companies know you better than you may know yourself. Your profile is a bunch of algorithms that serve up increasingly extreme content, pounding our harmless preferences into harm."

"We shouldn't sugarcoat the consequences. This is surveillance," he added.

Cook went on to commend the recently enacted European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which places stricter rules on how personal data is handled by businesses and organizations, and argued for a similar law in the U.S. – a call received with applause from the conference audience.

"This year you've shown the world that good policy and political will can come together to protect the rights of everyone," he said. "It is time for the rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead. We in Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States."

Cook said a U.S. privacy law should prioritize data minimization, or "the right to have personal data minimized", as well as transparency with regard to what is being collected, the right to access that data, and the right to security, which is "foundational to trust."

In his speech, Cook also drew on Apple's privacy-first approach to artificial intelligence in contrast to other tech giants, and said he felt the technology held great promise to benefit humanity, but warned that "advancing AI by collecting huge personal profiles is laziness, not efficiency."

"For artificial intelligence to be truly smart it must respect human values — including privacy. If we get this wrong, the dangers are profound. We can achieve both great artificial intelligence and great privacy standards. It is not only a possibility — it is a responsibility.”

In closing, the Apple CEO criticized tech companies who "endorse reform in public and then resist and undermine it behind closed doors." He added: "It's time to face facts. We will never achieve technology's true potential without the full faith and confidence of the people who use it."

Apple's commitment to privacy protection has become one of the company's guiding principles in recent years, as over against the increasingly publicized data mining practices of tech firms like Facebook and Google, whose CEOs are scheduled to appear at the conference later this week.

Earlier this year, for example, Cook argued for stronger data privacy regulations following what he called the "dire" Facebook and Cambridge Analytica scandal, in which data on 50 million Facebook users was amassed without their consent.

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