Tim Cook on Facebook’s user privacy scandal: I would have avoided the mess

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook took some digs at his fellow tech giant by calling out on Facebook for selling its users’ data besides, criticising Amazon’s ‘contest’ for new headquarters.

In conversation with technology news website Recode’s Kara Swisher and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Cook said that Facebook should have restrained from making detailed profiles of people and having failed to do so the government will now have to step in and take charge.“ I think best regulation is no regulation, self-regulation. However, I think we’re beyond that here,” said Cook.

When asked what he would do if he were in Mark Zuckerburg’s shoes right now, Cook replied, “ What would I do? I wouldn’t be in that situation.”

As Zuckerburg sinks deeper into a public relations crisis over accusation for selling his company’s user’s private data, Tim made a point to criticise Facebook for both the political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica affair and it’s approach to consumer privacy policy.

But this isn’t the first time Apple has implicitly savaged tech giants. Tim’s predecessor, Steve Jobs went out of this way to contrast Apple’s privacy stance against Google in 2010. In 2015 too Tim has made public comments about the firms in question - Facebook and Google.

While the company that makes most of its money from selling hardware products like iPhones, iPods, AppleWatch and MacBooks has had nibbled at the advertising business for monetary gains. On the other hands, Facebook and other social media giants have made a lucrative business by selling consumer data to the ad firms.

If we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product, we could make a ton of money," Cook said. "We've elected not to do that."

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In 2014 when Facebook was the golden child of the tech industry, Apple in an open letter to its customers had said, “When an online service is free. You are not the consumer. You’re the product.” Zuckerburg had mocked Cook’s ridiculous concept by saying, “ What, you think because you're paying Apple that you're somehow in alignment with them? “If you were in alignment with them, then they’d make their products a lot cheaper!” But this is long before the public learned about Cambridge Analytica.

It must be noted that since MSNBC has released on scattered clips from the event, it’s not clear in what context Cook is speaking. But at one point he was quoted as calling privacy a human right…a civil liberty.

Cook also took a swipe at Amazon’s Jeffrey P. Bezos when Chris Hayes asked the former Amazon's much-publicized search for a location for its new campus. “ I don't condemn it,” Cook said. 

The online retailer has been criticised by President Trump, among others, who accuse it of taking advantage of tax loopholes compete unfairly with its competitors.

“I think it's their decision.” However, he went on to say: “But from our point of view, we didn't want to create this contest. You wind up putting people through a ton of work to select one. That is a case where you have a winner and a lot of losers. I don't like that.”

This drew wild applause from the audience as they realised Cook was only restating something he had said in the past. 

MSNBC plans to broadcast the entire town hall event on April 6.