Tim Cook on Privacy.
Apple is leading the way in promoting user privacy in the digital age and recently Apple CEO Tim Cook delivered a speech during an event in Washington where he made some very important and controversial points about privacy in the digital age.
"Like many of you, we at Apple reject the idea that our customers should have to make tradeoffs between privacy and security...We can, and we must provide both in equal measure. We believe that people have a fundamental right to privacy. The American people demand it, the constitution demands it, morality demands it.”
This statement is supported by Apple's action being the first major phone manufacturer to make encryption as a default in its Operating System. It goes to show how serious Apple is in protecting customer privacy and in not making money out of customer information. There are hundreds of millions of iOS devices all over the world and each one is connected to the internet. Whenever these devices connect to the internet it generates a lot of data that can be mined and sold to advertisers. Apple recently launched ApplePay which can be a huge source for rich advertising data but Apple has publicly said it will not monetize user data generated by Apple Pay (example here) even thought it could be worth millions.
Tim Cook went on to say:
“I’m speaking to you from Silicon Valley, where some of the most prominent and successful companies have built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information...They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company that Apple wants to be.”
This sounds like a swipe at Google and Facebook and some people may find this comment unfair because Apple, Facebook and Google have different core business models. People who criticize Cook for this comment miss the heart of his criticism - "built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information." I am sure Tim Cook is not criticizing Google and Facebook for having an advertising driven business model. His criticism is at how many tech companies - like Facebook and Google - exploit their users complacency. I know some people may find the word "exploit" too strong but I argue it is the correct characterization. Many of the tech companies today are very vague with their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Sometimes it feels like they purposely make their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy inaccessible to a lay-man. Sometimes it feels like they purposely coax the complacent side of our human nature - who wants to read 50 pages of very fine text just to be able to post cat pictures? I have to admit though that lately Facebook and Google have improved how they present their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. It used to be just a dull looking page full of legalese. Now they have improved the language and Facebook even has a handy tool called Privacy Basics that helps user understand how to manage their Privacy. This is very important because the user needs to be aware from the start what they are trading-off to get a free online service.
Tim Cook also mentioned something I consider as key in securing digital Privacy - the idea of control.
“We believe the customer should be in control of their own information. You might like these so-called free services, but we don’t think they’re worth having your email, your search history and now even your family photos data mined and sold off for god knows what advertising purpose. And we think some day, customers will see this for what it is.”
One of my biggest hopes for the future is that someday users are able to retain control over personal data even after it has been handed over to the company. The model right now is that once you give your information to Facebook or Google they essentially own it. Whenever you stop using the services offered by these companies your data does not leave with you. Google and Facebook admit to this and they just explain it as a technical limitation - it is "impossible" to completely erase your data. I don't buy it. The status quo is the very reason why the NSA consider these Silicon Valley giants as prime targets for getting the data they need for a surveillance drag net. If users have full control of their data then we should be able to take it with us once we no longer use their service. I know this might still be far into the future but I am hopeful that someday it will be a reality and I will continue to advocate for it. In the meantime how do we have control over our information? We have to start demanding transparency from the get-go about what information is being collected, how it is being collected, why it is collected, how it is monetized and how does the company audit its privacy compliance? If we do not have full control over our data once it is with the service provider then the best we can do is fully understand what we are giving up in return for specific services. This may not be direct control but it is some form of control. Companies like Facebook and Google should facilitate this control from the very beginning instead of purposely making it out of reach.
Apple believes in customers having control and it takes it seriously by making encryption a core feature of its products. Tim Cook says this about encryptions:
“Removing encryption tools from our products altogether, as some in Washington would like us to do, would only hurt law-abiding citizens who rely on us to protect their data. The bad guys will still encrypt; it’s easy to do and readily available."
“Now, we have a deep respect for law enforcement, and we work together with them in many areas, but on this issue we disagree. So let me be crystal clear — weakening encryption, or taking it away, harms good people that are using it for the right reasons. And ultimately, I believe it has a chilling effect on our First Amendment rights and undermines our country’s founding principles.”
Apple has been under attack from the FBI, the NSA and other surveillance hawks for offering encryption as a default feature. These criticism goes as far as accusing Apple as coddling terrorists and child kidnappers. Apple's commitment to this promise shows how much they value user privacy and it should serve as a model for others to follow.
Was Tim Cook too harsh in his criticism of other Silicon Valley companies? In my view he was not - Silicon Valley has just been too cavalier with our privacy for far too long. It is time for them to realize that privacy is essential to their user base and that they have to find a way for their business model to co-exist with this new demand. Google and Facebook should stop crying foul about this type of criticism and start making meaningful changes.
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