Apple CEO Tim Cook calls for tech industry regulation

[Polycount]

Big quote: "We all have to be intellectually honest, and we have to admit that what we’re doing isn’t working. Technology needs to be regulated. There are now too many examples where the no rails have resulted in a great damage to society."

Most businesses tend to fear government regulation - the game industry is a perfect example of that. Publisher Electronic Arts even went so far as to push back against global anti-loot box laws, though the company eventually gave up the fight.

However, the tech industry has been a bit of an exception to the norm as of late. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called for regulation of the platform in the past (and social media sites in general), and now, Apple chief Tim Cook is following suit.

"We all have to be intellectually honest, and we have to admit that what we’re doing isn’t working," Tim Cook said at the Time 100 Summit, according to The Verge. "Technology needs to be regulated. There are now too many examples where the no rails have resulted in a (sic) great damage to society."

Apparently, Cook was primarily referring to data privacy here. The CEO feels that in order for consumers to keep their data secure, world governments will need to step in to provide them with more control over said data. The EU's GDPR, Cook says, is a "step in the right direction," but not a perfect solution.

"We are advocating strongly for regulation - I do not see another path at this point,"

"We are advocating strongly for regulation - I do not see another path at this point," Cook added, seemingly implying that the industry has lost its goodwill. Users and governments have largely been relying on tech companies to regulate themselves, but as massive data breaches become the norm, the industry has clearly failed in that duty.

It is worth noting that Apple has less to lose by calling for regulation than some of its competitors. Whereas tech giants like Google rely on the collection and monetization of data to survive, Apple's income comes primarily from selling its products; not its users' personal information. Indeed, Apple has actively fought against those business practices over the years - many of the company's apps, services, and products have strong privacy features built-in.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/79773-apple-ceo-tim-cook-tech-industry-needs-regulated.html

 

[avioza]

Well they have enough lobbyists and money that the big players shouldn't have much to be concerned about.

 

[VitalyT]

When someone like that talks regulation, it always ends up as monopolization, like hey, let's make it compulsory for companies to buy Apple products only.

Cook cannot regulate Apple's over-price hunger, and as Apple CEO, he is not credible to speak of any regulation in the industry.

 

[psycros]

"Whereas tech giants like Google rely on the collection and monetization of data to survive, Apple's income comes primarily from selling its products; not its users' personal information. Indeed, Apple has actively fought against those business practices over the years - many of the company's apps, services, and products have strong privacy features built-in."

The writer gets it. Apple wants to make privacy a true selling point once again because their only other way to recapture growth is to become just another dirtbag voyeur like Google, Facebook and the wannabe Microsoft. If Apple succeeds then I hope that Blackberry makes a real comeback too since they pretty much invented online privacy. When it comes to mobile tech and computing in general I would be perfectly happy if the 2020's looked a lot like the 00's.

 

[trparky]

Oh yes, I definitely agree with Tim Cook here. The world very much needs a GDPR-like law on the books everywhere. For too long has Google and Facebook made billions selling our personal data, enough is enough.

When something is free, you are the product. Want to get away from that? Want your privacy back? Either pay up or do without.

 

[gigantor21]

A PR move to make his competitors look bad and pull people towards Apple products and Apple services.

Any "regulation" he supports in practice either won't apply to Apple or will be too watered down to be useful.

 

[wiyosaya]

What a d!ck! He is completely clueless, IMO! He and zucky pining for regulation from the outside. To me, what these d!cks do not understand is that that regulation must come from the inside. To have that external regulation is just to extend the web of codependency in an ever widening and ever self-consuming spiral of the devil made me do it rubbish.

How about a novel idea, techie CEO wonks? Learn respect for those you serve and those who serve you and regulate yourselves. Stop being parasites and give back the obscene bounty you all have prised from the hands of your customers and employees. It is you, techie CEO wonks that are the willing rapists destroying yourselves and then blaming everyone else for your own faults. IMO, it is not the lack of regulation from the outside, it is lack of regulation from within that is the one and only problem. The techie CEO wonks are drunk on their spoils and have no clue this is so.

 

[MikeAcker]

Just go do the Right Thing

calling the bear can get you clawed

 

[Nobina]

"Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called for regulation of the platform in the past (and social media sites in general)..."

Yeah, Zuckerberg, one of the worst offenders of online privacy surely has peoples best interest in mind. Government + giant tech corps working together...can't believe they don't have something up their sleeve. Either that or Cook has some skeletons in his closet he doesn't want leaked so grew a concience.

 

[MaikuTech]

"Whereas tech giants like Google rely on the collection and monetization of data to survive, Apple's income comes primarily from selling its products; not its users' personal information. Indeed, Apple has actively fought against those business practices over the years - many of the company's apps, services, and products have strong privacy features built-in."

The writer gets it. Apple wants to make privacy a true selling point once again because their only other way to recapture growth is to become just another dirtbag voyeur like Google, Facebook and the wannabe Microsoft. If Apple succeeds then I hope that Blackberry makes a real comeback too since they pretty much invented online privacy. When it comes to mobile tech and computing in general I would be perfectly happy if the 2020's looked a lot like the 00's.

BlackBerry isn't coming back so don't bank on it saving us from anything.
https://www.stealingshare.com/pages/blackberry-failed-marketing-lessons-to-be/

 

[Mithan]

Translation:
Regulation will help us specifically, but here are the bullshit reasons to give to an uniformed electorate to do it.


When a company calls for Regulation, it is because they are trying to protect themselves. This is corporatism at its worse and will result in people looking back in 20-30 years going "um, maybe we shouldn't have listened to them".

 

[kira setsu]

Govt jumps in then they send in their lobbyist to take over the controls.

apple has ran out of ideas and noticed no one can afford their crap so theyre gonna beat the competition with a govt sanctioned bat now, holy s**t these companies have no morals.

 

[Cubi Dorf]

Many companies take data collection way too far with tracking user outside of their site and offline. It will only get worse with face recognition and wireless carriers tracking gps and online traffic. This should not be an apple vs google argument. It is so much bigger issues. This is question of do you want to be stalked for someone else to profit or not? I do not.

 

[Aux101]

I don't like what I see in his eyes. :/

 

[Danny101]

For one thing, stiffer penalties for data breaches when industry best practices aren't followed and there are plenty of offenders of that. Secondly, maybe people should back away from so much reliance on technology. More often than not, it's time filler because people are bored. Get moving. Find more physical activities to do. That latest episode can wait. It's just a story and it's someone else's story anyway. Create your own by living, by traveling, and by being a more interesting person, and not by watching others'.

 

[GamersRights]

We have seen Apple caught between a rock and a hard place. While it is easy to say, they can make the rules whatever they want, its not that easy. When a game company trading on their platform does something unsettling or unfair, they are caught between gamers and the developer's lawyers. Better rules and regulations places them in a better position to manage the ethical decisions of what can and cannot happen on their own app store. We have seen purged fake reviews on the app store, only to see them re-appear. It is only speculation, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that a lawyer was most likely involved in those reviews returning. Yes, Apple could fight, but that costs money and legal fees. They need back up in the form of regulations. Just my humble opinion.