Tim Cook to talk Facebook, 'Tim Apple,' more in interview airing Monday
Apple CEO Tim Cook took part in a remote interview with journalist Kara Swisher this week, with the pair discussing topics ranging from App Store policy to the now infamous "Tim Apple" incident.
Source: Kara Swisher
Cook's virtual sit-down will air on The New York Times podcast "Sway" next Monday. The show is hosted by Swisher and regularly features high profile players in tech, politics, entertainment and beyond.
According to a tweet from Swisher, the interview covers a number of topics including Apple's decision to yank right wing social app Parler from the App Store in January. The app was pulled on concerns that it was used to help "plan, coordinate, and facilitate" the storming of the U.S. Capitol and remains off Apple's marketplace, as well as Google's Play Store and Amazon's servers. Republican lawmakers are currently scrutinizing the removal.
Cook will also speak about user privacy safeguards coming to iOS, namely a new feature called App Tracking Transparency that requires developers to gain permission before tracking a user's device advertising identifier, or Identifier for Advertiser (IDFA) tag. Many users are expected to opt for more privacy, potentially leaving companies that rely heavily on ad targeting in the lurch.
Facebook is perhaps the most outspoken critic of ATT and has persistently derided the move as an attack on its business. Cook addressed the issue with Swisher:
Cook was also asked about an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting in 2019, at which then-President Donald Trump called him "Tim Apple" in an apparent gaffe. He had a "good answer," Swisher says.
Source: Kara Swisher
Cook's virtual sit-down will air on The New York Times podcast "Sway" next Monday. The show is hosted by Swisher and regularly features high profile players in tech, politics, entertainment and beyond.
According to a tweet from Swisher, the interview covers a number of topics including Apple's decision to yank right wing social app Parler from the App Store in January. The app was pulled on concerns that it was used to help "plan, coordinate, and facilitate" the storming of the U.S. Capitol and remains off Apple's marketplace, as well as Google's Play Store and Amazon's servers. Republican lawmakers are currently scrutinizing the removal.
Cook will also speak about user privacy safeguards coming to iOS, namely a new feature called App Tracking Transparency that requires developers to gain permission before tracking a user's device advertising identifier, or Identifier for Advertiser (IDFA) tag. Many users are expected to opt for more privacy, potentially leaving companies that rely heavily on ad targeting in the lurch.
Facebook is perhaps the most outspoken critic of ATT and has persistently derided the move as an attack on its business. Cook addressed the issue with Swisher:
When asked what impact ATT might have on Facebook, Cook said, "Yeah, Kara, I'm not focused on Facebook. So I don't know."Swisher asked: "What is your response to Facebook's response -- which is quite vehement -- calling you essentially an existential crisis to their business?" Cook answered: " All we're doing, Kara, is giving the user the choice whether to be tracked or now. And I think it's hard to argue against that. I've been -- I've been shocked that there's been pushback on this to this degree."
Cook was also asked about an American Workforce Policy Advisory Board meeting in 2019, at which then-President Donald Trump called him "Tim Apple" in an apparent gaffe. He had a "good answer," Swisher says.
Comments
Trump may very well have forgotten Tim’s last name. I don’t know but if you listen to the audio it’s very apparent though that he wasn’t saying Apple as Tim’s last name as the “gaffe” label implies.
And I’m sure there are other examples, I am in no way going to defend Facebooks privacy policies, but Apple seriously needs to get of this privacy elite trip, because it’s frankly embarrassing to see them falsely portray themselves as the saviours of privacy when they have guilt all over their hands of treating it with disrespect themselves.
Oh and let’s not forget they fully support, for profit, endless free apps that mine data from their users on a daily basis, that’s then all sold on for profit. This interview is as true today as it was when written:
http://toucharcade.com/2015/09/16/we-own-you-confessions-of-a-free-to-play-producer/
I highly recommend ‘Tim Cook’ stops with the virtue signalling and hypocrisy, and gets back to his day job and making new devices, such as launching those new iMac designs, it would be nice to refresh a design that’s 10 plus years old and is incredibly stale... which is what Apples privacy virtue signalling is fast becoming...
That’s all it is - helping people understand what’s happening and giving them a choice. Lots of people either don’t know know or don’t care, or both. Most of us (I assume) would like to have a choice.
Degree- I think the the available information suggets that Facebook, Google and many many smaller customers monitor your behavior on device and on the internet for purposes of advertising and profit. Installing Facebook and it’s associated Apps on your phone is tantamount to installing spyware on your device.
Motivation- Generally, I buy that the few times Apple has been caught (eg HomePod, Siri), the goal was to improve the user experience and not to directly profit or advertise.
Anonymous cloaking- to obscure specific users and make them a member of a population.
To equate Facebook and Apple is a false equivalency. At least Google makes a pretense of protecting your privacy.
But I do agree with you that Apple needs to police the App Store better.
And along with the #virtuesignaling, you will see radical changes in Apple products with Apple Silicon over the next four years, Apple is in it for the long game.
Disclosure: I work for Apple but posts here are my own.
Wrong on both statements. In fact, even wrong about Amazon & Google. NONE of these companies were hearing/listening to everything you say without your knowledge. Google & Amazon were sharing the recordings that occur after you say "Hey Google", or "Alexa". They were sharing them with contractors in 3rd world countries, and were easily accessed due to poor security. They never notified the user they might do that. Apple was only sharing some personally unidentifiable recordings after the activation phrase "Hey Siri". Apple actually notified the user in the activation process or user agreement, and the user agreed to it. It was buried, but it was there. And Apple improved and made it opt in for future activations/OS versions.
And the "weak security" you're probably referring to is when some celebs were hacked by social engineering and/or their passwords leaked (weak, shared or re-used). Shared/leaked/bad passwords are not the fault of the supplier (Apple, Google or Amazon).
Please read better or pay attention to the details - they matter. When you don't, it doesn't look good for you.
Anyone with intelligence knows it is from his narcism, don't excuse it for anything else.
And your also foolish to claim I am wrong, Apple did not inform its customers Siri was secretly recording every word you said, and then passing that recording to a third party contractor in Ireland to have those recordings listened to by staff, it is a fact only after a whistle blower released this information and Apple were caught red handed, and being utterly embarrassed and hypocritical, that they then changed their policies and only then and informed their customers in documentation this is the act they performed.
So I stand by what I state about Apples hypocritical virtue signalling about privacy.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/26/apple-contractors-regularly-hear-confidential-details-on-siri-recordings
Firstly your first sentence clearly shows you did not properly read what I posted, and your second comment lacks any validity unless you can unequivocally provide proof that these third parties were easily accessed due to poor security.
Your also 100% wrong about Apple informing anyone about Siri recordings being passed onto third parties to listen to, they only notified their customers after they were caught doing it. Amazon actually informed you they did it before then.
You seem have twisted a lot of reality here to suit your Apple bias argument.
http://www.computerweekly.com/news/2240230859/Apple-pushes-security-and-privacy-credentials-after-iCloud-hack
No, read the reports, Apple did not disclose to anyone in its licensing that Siri recordings were passed onto third parties to be listened to:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/marcwebertobias/2020/06/08/did-iphone-customers-consent-to-siri-eavesdropping-on-their-conversations/
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/jul/26/apple-contractors-regularly-hear-confidential-details-on-siri-recordings
http://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/08/improving-siris-privacy-protections/
And yet Apple continues to act in defiance of their press statement according to the same whistle blower:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2020/05/21/apple-iphone-ipad-privacy-siri-recordings-ios-upgrade-iphone-11-pro-max-update/?sh=7bf09b893fc5
I agree with Google, everyone attacks them, yet all they want to do is advertise to you, they get revenue from many streams, but they do not sell your ‘personal data’ like many mistakingly believe, they just have a business model based in advertising, among other revenues like charging ISP’s for Google searches etc.
Facebook believes that they own all the data you post to their site, indeed the EUD states as such, their model is advertising but they also DO sell your data they collect, they tell you as such, IMO they are far worst then Google or Amazon. I don’t use them for that reason.
However, to use these examples as an ‘excuse’ for Apple is pretty deplorable, you know what the others do, they do not state to you in advertising campaigns they protect your security. Apple did and still does, yet they did not inform their customers they also record everything you say, sometimes without knowingly activating Siri, and third parties listen to said recording. As stated in my link above the original whistle blower that stated what Apple was doing, without the users knowledge, they still do to this day ignoring regulations it seems in some cases. Take from that what you will, but it was after this very same person leaked what Apple were doing when Apple released a public statement in it.
So Apple are hypocritical when it comes to security and privacy. All they do is virtue signalling, and allow endless freemium apps to record everything they can about their users and freely sell that data on.
With Apple it’s not so much the acts they do, it’s the fact they do not inform their users heat they do, whilst criticising others over their privacy policies. That’s my issue with them, it builds distrust with the company.
I won’t stop using Google, they are damn good at web searches, I won’t stop using Amazon or Alexa as it’s miles better then Siri, and both companies tell me what they do, and have consistently done so, with my data. Apple does not and yet is the one virtue signalling about privacy as an ad campaign. I’ll still continue to use their products, for now. But will keep an eye on their security and privacy related stories.
Interesting what you say about Apple hardware though, see how that plays out.