Apple has come out publicly against the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, a surveillance bill that would give the U.S. government sweeping powers to collect information from tech companies. In a statement given to The Washington Post, Apple iterated its position that privacy should not be traded for security.
"We don't support the current CISA proposal," Apple said in the statement. "The trust of our customers means everything to us and we don't believe security should come at the expense of their privacy."
Backed by the White House, the bill has been opposed by several technology companies, including Salesforce, reddit, Yelp, Twitter, Dropbox, and Apple. Trade groups The Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and Business Software Association (BSA) have also opposed it.
According to the Electronic Freedom Foundation (EFF), the bill offers immunity to the very companies protesting it and allows the government to collect information without actually doing anything to improve "cybersecurity."
CISA has been kicked around for years, but The Post said there are currently 70 votes for it in the Senate, more than enough to override a filibuster. The White House supports the bill, as well, and the U.S. House of Representatives has passed similar bills in the past.
Apple has become very vocal on the issue of privacy for its customers under the helm of CEO Tim Cook. The statement issued Tuesday is consistent with Apple's message that security can and should be achieved without sacrificing privacy.