Apple CEO Tim Cook Say The World's Online Privacy Is In A State Of Crisis

Privacy online has become a highlight for discussions in the tech industry today, and with good reason.

What with Cambridge Analytica and all the other data we willingly give out online, it's an important discussion. And Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks the situation is at crisis levels.

In an interview with ABC News, Cook reaffirmed Apple's stance on user privacy, as tech giants like Google and Facebook come under fire for their missteps. "Privacy in itself has become a crisis," Cook said in the interview. "It's of that proportion - a crisis."

Unlike the other two big tech companies, Apple's revenue is from its devices and services, not advertising. Therefore, it can afford to not collect and monetise user data for ad targeting. "You are not our product," Cook said. "Our products are iPhones and iPads. We treasure your data. We wanna help you keep it private and keep it safe."

Pointing at the huge amounts of personal data available online, Cook explained why it's an important issue to address. "The people who track on the internet know a lot more about you than if somebody's looking in your window," he said. "A lot more."

The Apple CEO has always been a vocal proponent of user privacy. Back in January, he even published an op-ed in Time, saying it's up to national governments to regulate how and what data companies gather. The key, he said, is to make strict regulations that make it harder to collect data, and to impose transparency in how it's used.

He also urged action against data brokers that transfer consumer data between companies, as part of deals and revenue gathering. The thing to remember however is that, though Apple doesn't directly collect data like Google, it does indirectly benefit from the latter's search engine on their iPhones. Apple earns billions of dollars each year from Google, just so they can stay the default search engine on iPhones. That's a kickback from the company responsible for practices Apple supposedly is against.

Cook goes on to state in the interview that he still believes this crisis is a "fixable problem". "And we just have to, like we've done every other point in time, when we get together it's amazing what we can do. And we very much are an ally in that fight."