Tim Cook calls data collection 'surveillance' in blunt, forceful speech on 'data-industrial complex'

At the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners in Brussels, Belgium back in October, Apple CEO Tim Cook did not shy away from using strong language to warn of the dangers of data collection and loss of citizen privacy. Cook praised the European Union for taking the initiative in protecting the personal data of its citizens with the passage of General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR. He urged the United States to follow suit with a federal law that would protect citizen’s rights against what he described as an emerging, ‘data-industrial complex.’

“Our own information is being weaponized against us with military efficiency...We shouldn’t sugar-coat the consequences. This is surveillance. And these stockpiles of personal data only serve to enrich the companies that collect them.”

— Tim Cook, Apple CEO

He explained how data-gathering algorithms affect individual privacy and how these tools can be abused through rogue agents, organizations and governments to undermine society.

“Now more than ever, as leaders of governments, as decision makers in business and as citizens, we must ask ourselves a fundamental question. What kind of world do we want to live in?”

— Tim Cook, Apple CEO

He also shared how Apple questioned the power of a totalitarian state and conformity in the 1984 Macintosh ad "Why 1984 Won't Be Like 1984.” The powerful ad played on the themes of George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984, ending with the powerful message that technology can be used to empower, rather than enslave.

After the event, Cook also shared his thoughts on Twitter.

Four Elements of Privacy

Cook outlined four key rights that he thinks should be essential to a new US federal privacy law.

1. Right to have private data minimized.

2. Right to know what data is being collected and why.

3. Right for any individual to get access to his or her own data, correct it and delete it, if desired.

4. Right to security, which he described as “foundation to trust and all other privacy rights.”

Cook also admitted that there were plenty of people who would prefer that he had not said that and that many people will also publicly endorse privacy reform, but ‘undermine it behind closed doors.’ He also pointed out that any technology that would supposedly be hampered by privacy laws was false and such a claim was destructive. Tim Cook is the first CEO of a large American corporation to take such a pro-privacy stance on individual consumer rights.

At Elf, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right, as essential as freedom.

Choice Matters

Choice matters. It's also part of providing an excellent experience. Customers want the option to choose who they receive marketing and advertising from, when and how often. This choice truly pertains to any advertising or marketing you receive as a customer.

In many ways, it is like shopping. Consumers are far more intelligent and perceptive than the advertising and marketing they have been forced to receive for many years. When you give them better options, they are eager to take them. No one wants their privacy or confidentiality stolen or to be spammed by advertisers.

Adopting GDPR may be difficult for companies that have not prioritized privacy before. However, when all is said and done, your customers and subscribers have chosen to opt in versus opt out. That's consumer freedom.

Having Integrity

We are cognizant of this and follow this at Elf and in our work with clients. Ultimately, we believe that companies that pay attention and respect the privacy of individual consumers, that do not sell your data and are transparent, will succeed over the long-term because they have chosen to act with integrity and to value their customers.