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Tim Cook Says Ads That Follow You Online Are 'Creepy' (cnet.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the open-book dept.

In a wide-ranging interview with MSNBC and Recode, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that everyone should know how much data they're sharing and what can be inferred about us from that information. He added that privacy "is a human right" and said he's worried about how advertisers and others can abuse access to our data. "To me it's creepy when I look at something and all of a sudden it's chasing me all the way across the web," Cook said. "I don't like that." CNET reports: The comments came as part of a wide-ranging interview between Cook, MSNBC's Chris Hayes and Recode's Kara Swisher. MSNBC broadcast the special, named "Revolution: Apple changing the world" at 5 p.m. PT on Friday. The interview was taped the day after Apple's education event in Chicago, where the company introduced a new 9.7-inch iPad and tools for teachers. The two publications released some early clips and comments from Cook over the past couple of weeks. That included remarks he made about Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Cook noted that Apple purposely chose not to make "a ton of money" off its customers' data and that Facebook failed to effectively regulate itself, prompting a need for government intervention. Along with Facebook and its privacy issues, Cook talked up DACA and immigration, tax reform, the changing job landscape and the need for everyone to learn coding, among other topics.

2 of 181 comments (clear)

  1. One company deciding what runs is just as creepy by ffkom · · Score: 4, Insightful

    While Tim Cook is certainly right that being tracked for advertisement purposes is creepy and should not happen, it is just as creepy if there is one company that decides what software my hardware is allowed to run, even taking a third of revenue made with it, if it is commercial.

    So, Tim, as long as Apple puts its buyers under tutelage, you are just as creepy as the stuff you criticize.

  2. Re:Cook yaps out of both sides... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Oh fuck off. You're not required to use iCloud at all. You can attach as much storage as you need. You can use FileVault 2 to encrypt locally. You can sync your iOS devices easily to local storage.

    What in holy fuck are you on man?