ABC will be airing an interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook Friday night. The subject of the interview is NSA surveillance and Tim Cook's stated position that the U.S. needs to be and should be more transparent about its surveillance activities.
TechCrunch spotted the teaser video posted by ABC, and in that teaser Mr. Cook once again states that the U.S. government has no access to Apple's servers. In a quote that I personally love, he said, "They would have to cart us out in a box for that."
The teaser text in full:
ABC's David Muir: “What is your biggest concern — with the surveillance program here in this country?”
Tim Cook: "I've been pushing very, very hard to open the books and be totally transparent. Much of what has been said isn’t true; there is no back door. The government doesn’t have access to our servers. They would have to cart us out in a box for that. And that just will not happen. We feel that — strongly about it. But I do want to be transparent, because I think transparency would help put everything in perspective."
DM: "Do you think Americans, Tim, would be more at ease if you could tell them more?"
TC: "I do."
I've noted several times that Tim Cook is one of the most deliberate and precise speakers in the ranks of technology executives. When he is interviewed, he speaks with measured certainty, saying exactly and only what he wants to say.
In this brief teaser, however, Mr. Cook borders on sounding passionate, and that is really saying something when it comes to Tim Cook. Hopefully pressure from Mr. Cook and other tech giant CEOs will help push the U.S. to providing the kind of transparency they are asking for.
Here's the teaser clip: