Apple CEO Tim Cook believes Facebook should have regulated itself

[Polycount]

Several tech companies have voiced their frustrations with Facebook's handling of the recent Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal. For example, Firefox developer Mozilla recently released the privacy-oriented "Facebook Container" app shortly after opting to pull their ads from the social media platform.

Now, it seems Apple is jumping on that bandwagon as well. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently came out against Facebook's data privacy standards in several interviews - while the CEO generally prefer companies to regulate themselves as far as data privacy goes, he feels the window for Facebook to do so has long since closed.

"I think the best regulation is no regulation, is self-regulation," Cook said to Recode and MSNBC. "However, I think we're beyond that here."

"The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer -- if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that."

Cook also isn't a fan of the way Facebook builds "detailed profiles" of their users, "patched together from several sources." Cook feels this sort of data collection is a result of Facebook treating their users as the product instead of the customer. "The truth is, we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer -- if our customer was our product," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that."

When asked what he would do if he was in Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg's situation, Cook simply said he "wouldn't be in this situation" to begin with.

Whether you love or hate Apple, the company's business practices do seem to back up Cook's statements for the most part. As Recode notes, the majority of Apple's income seems to come from selling products directly to consumers, businesses and educational institutions rather than data harvesting.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/73924-apple-ceo-tim-cook-believes-facebook-have-regulated.html

 

[DelJo63]

By all means; allow the fox to guard the hen house. Don't be so Gullible.

 

[VitalyT]

Cook is trying to put a muzzle on Zuckerberg, that is awesome!

I'd love to see them slash it out, and hopefully kill each others.

The only two CEO-s I hate equally.

 

[psycros]

Here's an idea: make it illegal for these companies to collect data on you from multiple sources and make ALL data retention opt-in. Oh, their all going bankrupt? GOOD. Someone will create a subscription-based social network that will respect your privacy while keeping out the riff-raff via a paywall. Your 12-year old kid doesn't need a social media account anyway - let em' use ICQ and like it!

Also, I wish Apple products were affordable. I'd love to have Apple reigning in some of Google's snoopiness for me.

 

[Uncle Al]

Once again I reiterate that never has "self regulation" ever been successful in any profession .... the opportunity for graft is too strong as is the "good old boy" network that won't take action when warranted or necessary. You have doubts? Just look at our legal system and try to find any lawyer willing to file suite against another lawyer ....

 

[wiyosaya]

Cook would likely not agree with me, but I see this as the pot calling the kettle black.

Once again I reiterate that never has "self regulation" ever been successful in any profession .... the opportunity for graft is too strong as is the "good old boy" network that won't take action when warranted or necessary. You have doubts? Just look at our legal system and try to find any lawyer willing to file suite against another lawyer ....

I am surprised there are no posts railing against your supposition that "self-regulation" does not work. Perhaps it is because Zuckerberg is considered a liberal. However, he is exercising the kind of free-market business that the right adamantly supports. To me, it is surprising that the right does not see through his left-leaning politics to his business model and how much trouble that business model has brought. Perhaps it is because that would mean those on the right would have to admit that self-regulation has never worked, especially not in the case of fakebook.

IMO, fakebook needs regulations, or to be slammed extremely hard by the FTC. I think, though, that either of those options is unlikely to happen at this point in time because it would mean that the right would have to pass regulations they do not want nor support. If it does happen, IMO, it will be primarily because 45 wants to spite fakebook.

 

[BSim500]

"Advertising companies should self-regulate". LOL. Why do ad-blockers and "ad-skip" buttons on DVR's / PVR's exist? Precisely because advertising & data harvesting companies have never known when to stop...

 

[pencea]

Haha this is coming from a CEO of a company that wasn't even honest with the battery/performance degradation situtaion.

 

[SirChocula]

Haha this is coming from a CEO of a company that wasn't even honest with the battery/performance degradation situtaion.

Don't forget about when he said that he feels the Chinese Communist Party's values are aligned with Apple's.

 

[wiyosaya]

"Advertising companies should self-regulate". LOL. Why do ad-blockers and "ad-skip" buttons on DVR's / PVR's exist? Precisely because advertising & data harvesting companies have never known when to stop...

You can say that again - especially since studies in the past have hinted at advertising being ineffective.

 

[DaveBG]

The data thief screams catch the data thief!