Apple CEO Tim Cook has called on the US government to help internet users control the data about their lives that is collected online. He says that the public needs new rights to manage this information and that, “consumers should have the power to delete their data on demand, freely and easily.” In recent years scandals involving big tech companies like Facebook and Google have brought the urgency of this situation more to light. The way that these tech giants acquire your personal information goes far beyond what most people could imagine. All of your hobbies, habits and preferences are meticulously recorded, and this personal data is then sold to whomever wants access to it. Facebook and Google say that this is merely for the purpose of targeted marketing, but there are no real safeguards in place to prevent scammers, hate groups and political agents from using your data.
Of course Apple is also a tech giant, but their business model is not based primarily on accumulating your data. So a stance like this makes them look good as it differentiates Apple from its data-hungry rivals like Facebook and Google. Cook summed up his remarks with a call to action: “These companies amass comprehensive user profiles that are vulnerable to abuse, and we have lost the ability to control our own digital lives. This problem is solvable... it isn’t too big, too challenging or too late.”