I generally agree with Tim Cook's words here as I also believe the large amassing of personal data and the aggregation of it there of is potentially (and I believe as to many others, already is) very dangerous territory indeed. We have already seen the downsides of this with things like Cambridge Analytica for instance.

I have to call out Apple on something here, and this is something that Tim Cook could personally do something about very actively, however. And it has nothing to do with customer/consumer privacy, which I think Apple does a wonderful job with, typically. It has more to do with the ethos of the corporation.

Apple is just as guilty as anyone else about actually buying and using this data. It may not always be the case that is sourced from wherever, but they use the same tactics in their hiring and keeping tabs on employees that they are so deride in the media. For instance, if any of you are Apple employees, go ahead and check out the HR policy and procedure for publishing your information including your salary. I think you'll find that to be very eye opening. I can't recall the firms name off the top of my head, but they report that information to one of these firms that aggregates this information and in turn sells it in turn.

Oh and use a personal device at work? Apple's own employee contract states that if you connect a personal device to their network, even once, they have the right to demand any contents of that device subject to termination.

I get some of that is for secrecy, don't get me wrong. I understand that i'm highlighting things from a point of view that I don't agree with these policies and that I'm not, and it is quite intentional, discussing why these policies may be in place. For what its worth, I'm okay with secrecy, in the sense of protecting investments, IP, etc. I get business need. What I don't understand is why Apple's own policies don't reflect these values they often tout in public. I personally feel like they have this dual face a lot, where they say things publicly that I agree with but I know `privately`, if you will, the corporation does not reflect these values when its not convenient for doing business

Don't even get me started on Apple not being at the forefront of the Net Neutrality debates, where I think Apple could have real impact (the general population as a whole tends to listen to Apple/Tim Cook more so than any other CEO I can recall in recent memory, as do politicians of all stripes, its quite a trip how must esteem they hold in the public mind, which is why I think its so important they talk about something that should, at least according to their public statements, be right in line with their ethical underpinnings Tim Cook talks about very often).

Rubs me the wrong way, I guess. Am I glad he's at least a CEO of a huge public company that has weight and is talking about this in a way that is agreeable (mostly) and likely far better for the average person? Yes, yes I am, but I think its important we remember the other facts too.

Disclaimer: I did work at Apple, and for what its worth I left on good terms, and I would generally recommend working there, I just want to be honest about the things I saw and felt. There is a lot of good too, believe me.