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Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

techcrunch.com

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Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#191

Post by WA »

rubyfan wrote: post #87
walterbell wrote: post #38

Hi Apple. Please: • add VPN on/off to control center • allow per-app VPN via Apple Configurator, without enterprise MDM • once the above two are available, we can use Tor, IDS, DPI or pihole on a per-application basis, to reduce data harvesting • bonus1: allow the open-source iOS MDM community OR the iOS Shortcuts community to make it easy for novice users to have one-click install of "privacy-plus configurations" •…

I’d like to see better sand boxing of the Photo album on iOS. Facebook, LinkedIn and others are known to raid your photos if they have access to it. Ideally you could limit their ability to read and write to just a specific photo album. Or limit write and read separately. At the moment your ability to enable and disable the permission is based on what permission the app requests and they show up together.

While I suspect the same thing (why wouldn’t FB access at least the meta data from all photos), I wonder if you have a source or proof for that.

Also, how does that work with GDPR compliance if the UI clearly doesn’t ask for my consent that all photos are somehow accessed and maybe even uploaded?

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#192

Post by tinco »

mark_l_watson wrote: post #32

I like Tim Cook, I think his heart is in the right place and as much as a corporation can, Apple generally does the right thing. I was having lunch with several lawyers at my company a few weeks ago. One of them was talking strongly about quality devices and Apple’s strong privacy stance. He literally said that we as a society should be grateful for having Apple.

Perhaps it is cynicism, but I'm pretty sure this is just Apple exploiting a competitive edge, and does not necessarily reflect his own opinion, he is speaking to benefit the company.

Of course, it's very nice that Apple made the decision to pick this edge, but they did it because they could not compete with Google on web services. So now they're publicly speaking to try and take the sting out of Google's edge. And that's healthy competition, the direct result will be that the consumer benefits, and I can agree we can be grateful to have these powerhouses fighting for our satisfaction.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#193

Post by leereeves »

robocat wrote: post #187
leereeves wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple sells a walled garden that controls what software you can use, forces upgrades by forbidding repairs and slowing down old phones with software updates, and sells more dongles by eliminating features and changing ports in every generation of their products. I admit they are better than Google on the privacy issue, but should we be grateful for having an alternative that abuses us in different ways?

Each of your complaints is because of a well-designed compromise (app quality/safety; preventing abrupt phone shutdown; removing a common failure point). You may disagree with the compromises, sure. PS: I own zero Apple devices (partly because of the reasons you have, not for the way you are misrepresenting those reasons).

Apple's App Store policies are about far more than app quality or safety. Apple has banned many apps for political or financial reasons.

Slowing down old phones without notice or permission wasn't the best response to aging batteries. Even Apple didn't deny it was wrong. They apologized, once they were caught.

And the MagSafe connector was not a common failure point.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#195

Post by robocat »

EastSmith wrote: post #78

I have owned couple of google phones (Nexus and Pixel). Today for the first time ever I am considering buying an iPhone. I would pay premium for privacy on Google devices if they make it available. And we now know what the price is - $40 in EU. Just sell it like this Google.

Another price point: "Seeing as Google pays Apple $12bn to be the default search engine on iOS devices" divided by number of devices Google paid for.

The $40 should just be a number that would pass the lowest threshold the antitrust regulators will accept. My guess is that $40 doesn't have much to do with lost advertising revenue.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#196

Post by EastSmith »

andygates wrote: post #165
EastSmith wrote: post #78

I have owned couple of google phones (Nexus and Pixel). Today for the first time ever I am considering buying an iPhone. I would pay premium for privacy on Google devices if they make it available. And we now know what the price is - $40 in EU. Just sell it like this Google.

I guess Tim's blatant sales pitch found a mark, eh?

I guess you are correct. It is Google's turn now.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#197

Post by macintux »

_Codemonkeyism wrote: post #9

Until Apple growth streak breaks and they start to use data like everyone else and using data is a good thing.

If Apple thought an eventual about-face on this issue was a business strategy they might need to employ, they'd hardly be pushing so publicly and loudly on it.

Growth may stall, but throwing away one of their primary advantages over nearly every other tech company is a pretty stupid strategy.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#198

Post by ilamont »

AnIdiotOnTheNet wrote: post #149
ilamont wrote: post #106

“Our own information — from the everyday to the deeply personal — is being weaponized against us with military efficiency,” warned Cook. “These scraps of data, each one harmless enough on its own, are carefully assembled, synthesized, traded and sold. If personal data has value, and companies are making billions or even trillions of dollars from it, shouldn't these firms be paying the source (us) to use it? Real cash…

For many of them, we get to use their services for free. That's the arrangement.

Not all. Certainly not brokers serving the ad industry, credit bureaus, and retailers. And for others such as Google business services and Microsoft, we pay them. Even for the "free" services, is it a fair exchange of value?

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#199

Post by drivingmenuts »

leereeves wrote: post #193
robocat wrote: post #187

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Each of your complaints is because of a well-designed compromise (app quality/safety; preventing abrupt phone shutdown; removing a common failure point). You may disagree with the compromises, sure. PS: I own zero Apple devices (partly because of the reasons you have, not for the way you are misrepresenting those reasons).

Apple's App Store policies are about far more than app quality or safety. Apple has banned many apps for political or financial reasons. Slowing down old phones without notice or permission wasn't the best response to aging batteries. Even Apple didn't deny it was wrong. They apologized, once they were caught. And the MagSafe connector was not a common failure point.

Personally, I think the MagSafe connector was bloody brilliant and I'm not giving up my mid-2015 MBP until it absolutely won't function any more, because of that feature (it's saved my MBP several times when I was a bit clumsy or forgetful).

Another reason: the multiplicity of ports and bunches of things that all use USB-A.

Re: Tim Cook makes blistering attack on the “data industrial complex”

#200

Post by emsy »

izacus wrote: post #93
OskarS wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree, and you can also tell that Apple is on the right side of this because of that FBI phone unlocking case. Apple fought the government tooth and nail, and they made it literally impossible to do for later models of phones. That whole incident really impressed me. Of the "giant evil megacorporations that will dominate our cyberpunk future", I think Apple has slightly more moral sense and backbone compared to Goo…

That's an interesting view, considering all the outrage on this site related to Google potentially entering the Chinese market under their law. It was deemed utterly immoral... and Apple gets a free pass although their own CEO it talking about human rights?

You are either utterly uniformed or intentionally misleading. Apple located the data center in China, as Chinese law requires while maintaining the same encryption standards they have for all of their customers. Google was collaborating with China in creating a censorial search engine behind the great firewall. Completely different things.
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