Tim Cook Reiterated His Call for Data Privacy Protections

Apple CEO Tim Cook during Mac

Apple CEO Tim Cook urged Congress to pass “meaningful, comprehensive federal privacy legislation” on Wednesday. He also said the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should establish a “data-broker clearinghouse” to give consumers greater clarity on where their data goes. The Apple boss renewed his calls for greater privacy protections in a piece for Time.

Apple CEO Tim Cook during Mac

Four Principles of Managing Data

In the article, Mr. Cook said Congress should pass “a landmark package of reforms that protect and empower the consumer.” He restated the four principles he previously laid out in front of global privacy regulators in 2018:

  • The right to have personal data minimized
  • Knoweldege of what data is being collected and why
  • Ease of access, correction, and deletion of personal data
  • The right to data security

Establish Data Broker Clearing-House

Elsewhere in the piece, Mr. Cook said that it was not sufficient to just introduce new laws. Consumers also “need tools that they can use to take action,” he added.

The Apple chief argued that consumers need a data broker clearinghouse that would require all data brokers to register. He said that this would help people track how their data was bundled and sold. Currently, “the trail disappears before you even know there is a trail,” Mr. Cook said.

Mr. Cook has been an increasingly vocal advocate for data privacy recently. Speaking in Brussels in October, for instance, he urged the U.S. to pass legislation similar to GDPR in the EU. He argued that data mining had become weaponized against consumers.

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