Tim Cook says he's 'offended' by government smears in latest Time cover story

AppleInsider

In a Time Magazine interview published on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook railed against the U.S. government's approach to the battle over encryption, claiming he was "offended" by statements leveled against the company, as well as the way the government is pursuing data from the iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter.

"And so do I like their tactics? No. I don't," Cook said. "I'm seeing the government apparatus in a way I've never seen it before. Do I like finding out from the press about it? No. I don't think it's professional. So do I like them talking about, or lying, about our intentions? No. I'm offended by it. Deeply offended by it."

The comment appears to be a specific reference to a recent Justice Department brief, accusing Apple of building iOS 8 and 9 security with the express intent of thwarting government warrants and other requests for data access. Apple general counsel Bruce Sewell recently said the filing "reads like an indictment," and echoed Cook's language, calling the document "deeply offensive."

Cook restated many of his company's arguments against building a passcode limit crack for the FBI, notably suggesting however that the world is in a "golden age of surveillance," and that the idea of encryption of causing the world to "go dark" for law enforcement and spy agencies is a myth.

"I never expected to be in this position. The government should always be the one defending civil liberties. And there's a role reversal here," he later remarked, nevertheless remaining optimistic that the situation is temporary and Apple's position will ultimately triumph.

A March 22 court hearing is set to review the court order asking Apple to build the passcode crack. That's just one day after special press event where the company is expected to showcase a new 4-inch iPhone as well as a new 9.7-inch iPad and more Apple Watch bands.

ericthehalfbee

Awesome. Straight out calling them liars.

Well done Cook. 

quadra 610

Right on, Tim. Hold the line. Hold the line. 

JanNL

For me this shows (as I always thought after starting as the CEO) Tim Cook is more than only a capable, calculating CEO. He lives for the job and fights for Apple and a broader interest.

jmoore5196

Let us hope that Tim's side of the argument prevails.  This is not only a precedent ... it's history.  A hundred years from now, people will look back on this as a watershed event in the struggle for freedom and personal liberty.  History is not on our side, but perhaps cooler heads in positions of authority will realize that the DoJ has massively overstepped its boundaries.

ireland

True leadership.

CMA102DL

Good stuff. We have a Constitution because experience and history shows that our government has a tendency to keep too many secrets and overreach its power and authority. Ideally, our government should adhere to the Constitution and thus defend our civil liberties by default. But sometimes, interests such as national security can derail the government's focus on the Constitution. This is when folks like Tim Cook can make a great difference by making a stand. And think about, if the government were adhering to the Constitution, then there would be no need for people like Ed Snowden to blow a whistle.

jmoore5196

CMA102DL said:

Good stuff. We have a Constitution because experience and history shows that our government has a tendency to keep too many secrets and overreach its power and authority. 

No, we have a Constitution because Great Britain was ruled by an overreaching, secretive monarch who kept trying to extend his power and authority.  At the time of the Constitutional Convention, there was no 'experience and history' of any kind with respect to the United States government.

stsk

When Apple filed its most recent brief, defending our personal privacy and security, James Comey was in Chine, meeting with its top cop. Is there any possible way the contrast could be more stark?

ceek74

Great job Tim & Apple!  Queue the 1 posters.

paxman

sog35 said:

In the past I criticized Cook for 'wasting time' on social issues: equality, diversity, gay rights.

Well I was wrong. If Cook didn't stand up for those social issues in the past he would look like a fraud standing up for privacy now. 

Good job Mr. Cook.  I vastly under rated your importance and integrity.

Good that you acknowledge your 'mistake' (as you see it). Being 100% right on discussion boards is overrated. If every statement made here ended with an '... at least I think so', or words or tone to that effect, these boards would be more useful and interesting in my view. Likewise if more people admitted when they were wrong or changed their mind. The one thing that I find brings this forum down more than any other is all the chest thumping. At any rate - I agree with you and feel that TC is right. I am not sure that he so much used his position to promote his own stance on social issues as contextualized Apple's stance. Either way it speaks to his identification with Apple's DNA. In fact, I would have thought people who deeply disagree on Apple's position vis-a-vis equality, diversity, gay rights etc. as so often witnessed here would have abandoned the platform on for those very reasons. I guess it proves that Apple trumps religious and political views - which in turn makes Apple close to a creed.

volcan

This headline is ass backward.

Should be: In latest Time cover story Tim Cook says he's 'offended' by government smears 

When I first read it I thought it meant that Time interviewed the government who made smears against Tim when in fact it was Tim who was interviewed by Time Magazine.


http://time.com/4261796/tim-cook-transcript/

blurlabs

Thanks Tim and Apple !

volcan

jmoore5196 said:

No, we have a Constitution because Great Britain was ruled by an overreaching, secretive monarch who kept trying to extend his power and authority.  At the time of the Constitutional Convention, there was no 'experience and history' of any kind with respect to the United States government.

The colonies had a great deal of experience and history in local governing by the time the Constitution was drafted. The people who colonized the new world were very independent in nature and the vast distance from Britain meant that they were basically ruling themselves already. After the French and Indian war Britain was deeply in debt and tried to levy more taxes on the colonies. The Currency Act, the Stamp Act, and the Townshend Act which ultimately led to the Boston Tea Party.

All of this was done over a few decades so yes the colonies had a great deal of experience but more importantly many of the revolutionary leaders had studied major writings of the Enlightenment including those of Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the Baron de Montesquieu. From these writings, the founders gleaned the concepts of the social contract, limited government, the consent of the governed, and separation of powers.

komo

sog35 said:

Good job.

This proved to me more than ever that Apple deeply cares about its customers.

Any other company like Google, Facebook, Samsung, would simply give in to the FBI and would allow our privacy to be pillaged.  

In fact why hasn't the FBI asked Google to unlock Android phones?  Because they are so easy to hack and probably have tons of backdoors written into the OS.  This is why I pay $$$ for Apple products.

jakeb

Never been happier than today to have Tim as CEO. There aren't many organizations that could take on the government on this level, but I think Tim Cook's Apple is one of the few that can. 

komo

Sog35
I am Canadian and am with you100%. The FBI should do their job professionally not like a hacker! Apple is protecting its customers keep up the good work Tim Cook!

chrisnh

Spoken like a bleeding Lib, who fawns all over government intervention and control UNTIL it comes banging on YOUR door.

JanNL

volcan said:

This headline is ass backward.

Should be: In latest Time cover story Tim Cook says he's 'offended' by government smears 

When I first read it I thought it meant that Time interviewed the government who made smears against Tim when in fact it was Tim who was interviewed by Time Magazine.


http://time.com/4261796/tim-cook-transcript/

My first impression too.

tarfungo

sog35 said:

In the past I criticized Cook for 'wasting time' on social issues: equality, diversity, gay rights.

Well I was wrong. If Cook didn't stand up for those social issues in the past he would look like a fraud standing up for privacy now. 

Good job Mr. Cook.  I vastly under rated your importance and integrity.

Sog,

Admittedly, I'm an infrequent poster, but I for one always appreciate your input even if we don't always agree.  I applaud your comments above for being a stand up guy.  I'm also in agreement with you that Tim is handling this issue professionally as well as impressively.

zimmie

jmoore5196 said:

CMA102DL said:

Good stuff. We have a Constitution because experience and history shows that our government has a tendency to keep too many secrets and overreach its power and authority. 

No, we have a Constitution because Great Britain was ruled by an overreaching, secretive monarch who kept trying to extend his power and authority.  At the time of the Constitutional Convention, there was no 'experience and history' of any kind with respect to the United States government.

That's going a bit beyond ordinary pedantry. "Our government" at the time was said monarch and the various governors he installed to run things while messages made their way across the Atlantic. In a broader sense the "our" in "our government" refers not to the people living in what is now the United States of America, but the many generations of humanity stretching back to the beginning of recorded history. That is to say, "our government" is the governors to whom we have subjected ourselves in the past.