Amaya Toman Not so long ago, the news spread around the world that Apple had moved its customers' iCloud data to government-run servers. Apple usually respects the privacy of its customers above all else, but in the case of China, certain principles had to be set aside. Not only this step, but also Apple's relationship with China as such soon became the subject of interest for American lawmakers. In a recent interview for Vice CEO Tim Cook.
In the interview, Cook admits that it is not easy for everyone to understand and reminds that the data on Chinese government servers is encrypted just like any other. And getting data from these servers is no easier, according to Cook, than from servers in any other country. "The problem with China that has confused a lot of people is that certain countries - including China - have a requirement to store their citizens' data on state territory," he elaborated.
In his own words, Cook considers privacy to be one of the most important things of the 21st century. Although he considers himself a person who is not a fan of regulations, he admits that it is time for a change. "When the free market isn't producing an outcome that benefits society, you have to ask yourself what needs to be done," Cook said, adding that Apple needs to find a way to change some things.
According to Cook, the challenge in designing new products is, among other things, trying to collect as little data as possible. “We don't read your emails or messages. You are not our product," he assured the user in the interview. But at the same time, Cook denied that the emphasis that Apple places on user privacy would have a negative impact on the function of the Siri assistant, and added that Apple does not want to follow the path of companies that try to convince users of the need to provide their data in order to improve services.
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In the interview, the affair with the removal of Infowars podcasts from the native iOS application Podcasts was also discussed. Apple eventually moved to completely block Infowars from the App Store. In an interview, Cook explained that Apple wants to offer users a carefully managed platform whose content will range from very conservative to very liberal - according to Cook, this is right. "Apple does not take a political position," he added. According to Cook, users want apps, podcasts and news that are overseen by someone else – they crave the human factor. In his own words, the Apple CEO has not spoken to anyone else in the industry about Alex Jones and Infowars. "We make our decisions independently, and I think that's important," he said.
Cook has been at the helm of Apple for a relatively short time, but there has also been talk of his eventual successor, in connection with the fact that he may not share Cook's approach to protecting user privacy. But Cook described this approach as part of the culture of Cupertino society, and referred to video with Steve Jobs from 2010. “Looking at what Steve said back then, that's exactly what we think. This is our culture," he concluded.
