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Apple is calling for the introduction of a “comprehensive federal privacy law” in the United States.
It comes hot on the heels of a recent so-called “techlash,” where companies such as Facebook and Google found themselves in the spotlight over scandals about how they handle people’s data.
“Good policy and political will can come together and protect the rights of everyone,” Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, said in a keynote speech at a privacy conference in Brussels Wednesday.
“It is time for the rest of the world, including my home country, to follow your lead … We at Apple are in full support of a comprehensive federal privacy law in the United States.”
Cook’s comments at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners (ICDPPC) received warm applause in the Belgian capital.
Many of the world’s data protection regulators gathered in Brussels — a city increasingly at the forefront of tech regulation — as the conference coincided with the introduction of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) earlier this year.
GDPR refers to a piece of legislation that aims to give consumers control of personal data collected by tech companies. It came into force in May, just weeks after the Cambridge Analytica data misuse scandal enveloped Facebook — and raised the profile of data protection as a consumer need.
The scandal also prompted governments worldwide to finally consider taking action against an often-overlooked area of law.
But, U.S. lawmakers are seen lagging behind their European peers.
Apple’s chief executive lauded the “successful implementation” of GDPR on Wednesday. And, in a thinly-veiled message to tech behemoths stateside, Cook insisted U.S.-based companies had no need to fear more stringent privacy regulation laws.
“There are many people who would prefer I hadn’t said all that.”
“They may say to you our companies can never achieve technology’s true potential if they are constrained with privacy regulation, but this notion is not just wrong — it’s destructive,” Cook said.
In California, lawmakers recently passed a state-wide data protection law. This could pave the way for nation-wide regulation to be brought in, though it remains to be seen whether Apple’s endorsement can help this process along.
Unlike advertising-based business such as Facebook and Google, Apple has largely sidestepped the recent techlash.
The iPhone maker generates almost all of its income from selling hardware like smartphones and laptops.
However, just two years ago, Apple was under pressure from European officials after allegedly failing to pay 13.1 billion euros ($14.9 billion) in taxes after the EU concluded that Ireland had granted the firm undue benefits.
“Our own information, from the everyday to the deeply personal, is being weaponized against us with military efficiency. Taken to its extreme, this process creates an enduring digital profile and lets companies know you better than you may know yourself.”
“We must never stop asking ourselves what kind of world do we want to live in?” Cook said.
In 2016, Apple found itself in a legal tussle with the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) over access to the iPhone used by Syed Farook — who was responsible for the shootings in San Bernardino in December 2015. The attack left 14 people dead.
A federal judge asked Apple to help the FBI unlock the shooter’s phone, in a case marked as one of the highest profile clashes over encryption and data privacy between the government and a tech company.
Apple refused to unlock the phone, warning this would have set a dangerous legal precedent. Nonetheless, the FBI eventually got access to Farook’s iPhone by other means.