Apple CEO Tim Cook talks privacy, App Store monopoly, more in interview

Posted:
in General Discussion edited June 2019
Apple CEO Tim Cook is slated to appear on CBS Evening News on Tuesday to discuss a range of issues including the tech giant's push for consumer data privacy, allegations of monopolistic practices and more.

Cook


Snippets of the upcoming segment, shared in a series of tweets posted to the official "CBS Evening News" Twitter account on Monday, show Cook being interviewed by managing editor Norah O'Donnell.

In the clips, Cook, who spoke with O'Donnell after Monday's Worldwide Developers Conference keynote in San Jose, touches on Apple's commitment to user privacy, Facebook and Google, and questions of an Apple monopoly.

On privacy, Cook was asked about "Sign in with Apple," a forthcoming single sign-on feature that will allow users to easily log into apps, websites and services. The solution is designed as a more secure alternative to third-party log-in systems.

When asked whether Apple is "taking a shot" at Facebook and Google, Cook deflected.

"We're not really taking a shot at anybody," Cook said. "We focus on the user and the user wants the ability to go across numerous properties on the web without being under surveillance. We're moving privacy protections forward. And I actually think it's a very reasonable request for people to make."

O'Donnell pressed the issue, asking whether Cook believes Facebook cares about user security.

"I think that everybody's beginning to care more. People are becoming more aware of what's been happening. Many people are getting more offended, I think this is good because we need to shine a light on it," Cook said. "You can imagine an environment where everyone begins to think there's no privacy. And if there's no privacy, your freedom of expression just plummets, because now you're going to be thinking that everybody's going to know every single thing you're doing. This is not good for our country, not good for democracy."

As for questions relating to an Apple's influence in the market, Cook said, "I don't think anybody can reasonably conclude that Apple is a monopoly," but added, "I think that the scrutiny is fair. I think we should be scrutinized."

Apple, along with other Silicon Valley tech giants, could soon face wide-roving antitrust investigations from the Department of Justice and U.S. House of Representatives. The DOJ is supposedly readying a potential probe into the company's business practices, while the House Judiciary Committee on Monday announced a coming investigation focusing on competition in digital markets.

A preview of Cook's interview airs on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday, June 4, 2019, at 7 a.m. Eastern, while the full version will be broadcast on the "CBS Evening News" at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    AZGuyAZGuy Posts: 5member
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
  • Reply 2 of 12
    AZGuyAZGuy Posts: 5member
    Instead of Facebook being able to monitor apps, now Apple will!
  • Reply 3 of 12
    pacificfilmpacificfilm Posts: 134member
    AZGuy said:
    Instead of Facebook being able to monitor apps, now Apple will!
    I much prefer Apple than FBAZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
    why would you buy a book or film in the Apple store when, at least in my experience, Amazon offers the most competitive prices.
    lolliver
  • Reply 4 of 12
    flydogflydog Posts: 1,123member
    AZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
    That's like saying you can only buy Big Macs when you go into McDonald's and that they have a monopoly because you can't buy Chalupas there.  Not only is that argument illogical on its face, it's cut and dry that it's not a monopoly as far as antitrust law is concerned. 

    And how does requiring Apple sign-in (in addition to FB et. al.) "limit innovation"?   There is zero connection between requiring an additional method of third-party sign in and the ability of developers to innovate.  Zero.

    It's almost as if you put no thought at all into your post. Zero.
    edited June 2019 JFC_PAlolliverJustSomeGuy1chasmtmaydewmegutengelStrangeDayslkruppjony0
  • Reply 5 of 12
    JFC_PAJFC_PA Posts: 932member
    Warren’s issue with Apple from her statements is that Apple “sells” apps in the App Store in competition with outsiders who sell apps in the store. But unless I’ve missed something, possible, the only apps from Apple in the store are FREE: so they’re not competing with apps that are sold  

    or?

    so a plan B? Put all Apple’s apps in a “support download” site separate from the App Store. 
    edited June 2019 mobird
  • Reply 6 of 12
    DeanKohrsDeanKohrs Posts: 1unconfirmed, member
    AZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
    "You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app."
    I KNOW! EVERY TIME I GO TO TACO BELL THEY NEVER LET THE BURGER KING FOOD TRUCK ON THIER PROPERTY!
    WHO WANTS TO WALK ACROSS THE STREET TO BURGER KING! 
    JFC_PAgutengelStrangeDaysjony0
  • Reply 7 of 12
    the monkthe monk Posts: 93member
    AZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
    For my part, i wish there was a common file format for all ebooks that can be read in any application (Amazon, Apple). When I buy a paper book, it’s mine, I own it until acid eats the paper or I die.  But if Apple or whoever exits the ebook business, if an EMP device creates the apocalypse or whatever, my e-books are gone. 

    “Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in.” 

    As a developer, you should take the customer’s point of view, not just yours. When I was an Amazon seller, Amazon at one time gave phone numbers and email addresses of their customers. When they anonymized the email addresses and hid the phone numbers, boy, did I hear the complaining. They complained they could no longer enter phone numbers into Facebook so they can ad bomb their customers in their FB pages. They wanted to email addresses to send endless, begging messages (“can you give me a 5 star rating? If you want to give me a 1 star rating, email me first so I can bribe you.”)
  • Reply 8 of 12
    AZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options

    LOLOL


    carry on...
    jony0
  • Reply 9 of 12
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,274member
    The heat of Arizona has fried what's left of poor AZGuy's brain.

    My video and movie collection in iTunes and my ebooks in Books will be very surprised that you can "only" buy these things from the Apple stores, because exactly none of them were bought from there. So ...
    JFC_PAStrangeDaysjony0
  • Reply 10 of 12
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,335member
    I admire Tim Cook's idealism. The problem is that we all have to live inside a highly flawed social experiment run by highly flawed individuals, each with their own agendas and desires to establish their own self serving narratives within the ongoing experiment. The current highly orchestrated attacks on science, technology, and socially influential companies and entities like Facebook, Google, Amazon, and Apple, as well as entertainment and media outlets, is driven by the desire of government leaders to take back control over who gets to set the agenda and define the ongoing narratives of society. All this talk of monopoly and antitrust is a tactical maneuver to wrest back control and mind share and reinforce who is really in charge, both economically and more importantly, socially. It's all about those in charge seeking to establish executive control over who they see as their subjects. The whole notion of personal privacy being preserved within the realm of a business like Apple or Google will quickly evaporate when those in charge start to put the screws to Apple and others using all of the legal and executive tools at their disposal, including but not limited to antitrust laws, monopoly laws, national security, executive orders, etc. We all cringe when we see companies like Apple and Google kowtow to state enforced mandates from countries like China and Saudi Arabia. What makes you think they won't bend and break under similar pressure from the good old US of A with its massive and unquestioned concentration of power in the executive branch? It will be difficult to watch and it will leave a sickening feeling in your stomach, but it is only a matter of time before it happens. Personal privacy will soon be a quaint memory of an illusion that we once fooled ourselves into believing was a real thing.
  • Reply 11 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    AZGuy said:
    There is no question Apple has a monopoly on the App Store. The only way you can buy a book, TV, show, or movie is through Apple's app. You can't buy a book or show through the Amazon App or Prime Video app. Plus their new rules for apps limits innovation. Now app developers have to offer Apple Sign in. https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/06/03/sign-in-with-apple-mandatory-for-all-apps-with-third-party-sign-in-options
    You can’t have a monopoly on your own property. That’s like saying McDonald’s has a monopoly on their menu and what is sold to their customers. In both cases, the marketplace is larger and involves multiple brands. That’s where the monopoly discussion takes place. Neither McDonald’s nor Apple have a monopoly in the marketplace. 
  • Reply 12 of 12
    StrangeDaysStrangeDays Posts: 12,834member
    AZGuy said:
    Instead of Facebook being able to monitor apps, now Apple will!
    Welcome, FUD dispenser!

    Except they won’t, and it will be spelled out in their policy docs. Unlike Google and Facebook, whose business model is catering to their advertiser customers, Apple’s business model is catering to their users who are Apple’s customers. Pretty simple, really. 
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