In a new interview with Kara Swisher on the Sway podcast, Apple CEO Tim Cook talks about the upcoming legal battle with Epic Games, the controversy surrounding iOS 14.5's App Tracking Transparency policies, possible future Apple innovations like Apple Glasses, and more.
Apple is in the midst of a heated public dispute with Facebook over privacy, particularly over an upcoming feature on iOS that will require apps to get user consent before tracking them for advertising purposes. The new feature, called ATT (App Tracking Transparency), which Cook said will arrive with iOS 14.5 in "a few weeks," is designed to force apps to ask users for permission to track them across other apps and websites. Facebook has vehemently opposed the new feature, claiming it will negatively impact small businesses that rely on personalized advertising derived from tracking to stay afloat.
Tim Cook: “Data protection is the top issue of the 21st century”
Tim Cook explained that Apple does not agree with this argument and that Facebook's position is "flimsy." Cook calls privacy the "top issue of the 21st century," adding that with the help of tracking, companies like Facebook are able to "build a complete profile of what users think and what they do."
What App Tracking Transparency is trying to do is companies taking advantage of tracking you across other companies' apps, thus building a whole profile of what you think, what you do, and monitoring you 24/7 across the web. They'll see a simple pop-up that basically asks them to answer the question of whether or not they agree to be tracked. If they agree, they'll continue. If not, they'll turn off the tracking.
When asked how the new feature will affect Facebook, Cook says he is "not Facebook-focused" and that every year Apple adds new tools and features that improve and double down on user privacy. When asked specifically about what actions need to be taken against companies that track users, Cook explains that he used to be a strong believer in the ability of companies to regulate themselves, but notes that that has now changed.
In general, I think data protection is one of the top issues of the 21st century and I think we are in a crisis. Years ago I thought companies would regulate themselves and somehow get better. I no longer believe that. And I am generally not a fan of regulation but I think regulation is necessary.
App Store content is carefully curated
Speaking at a privacy conference in January, Cook had sharply condemned social media companies that fuel conspiracy theories thanks to their algorithms. Cook explained that Apple does not have a social media platform that "pushes stuff into your feed" but noted that it has the App Store, for which it carefully curates content.
Well, you know, I can only speak for Apple. And from the beginning, we've always believed in curation. And so we vet every app that comes into the store. That's not to say we're perfect at it. We're not. But we care very much about what we offer our users. And when we have a new product like Apple News, we have human editors who pick the most important stories. And so they avoid all the misinformation that's out there. The reality is that the web has become a dark place in some areas. And without curation, you end up with this firehose of things that I don't want to put in an amplifier. And that's what tech is, by and large. When you have a platform, you amplify things.
Apple Glasses: The Next Big Thing?
In typical Apple fashion, Cook never comments on future, unreleased Apple products. However, Cook says, perhaps alluding to Apple Glasses, that AR is "critical" to Apple's future. The CEO envisions a future where conversations involve more than just words. In fact, Cook also envisions diagrams and "other things" appearing in a virtual space.
Well, I can't talk about everything that we may or may not have in the pipeline. But in terms of AR, the promise of AR is that you and I are having a great conversation right now. It might be even better if we were able to supplement our discussion with charts or other things that appear. That would benefit your audience as well, I think. And when I think about it, in different areas, whether it's healthcare, education, gaming, retail, I already see AR taking off in some of those areas. And I think the promise for the future is even greater. So it's a very important part of Apple's future.
"Epic Games acted fraudulently"
Regarding Apple's dispute with Epic Games, Cook says that Epic has long followed the App Store's rules, but has decided to stop following the guidelines that all other developers follow. Cook says Apple is "confident" in this case.
It's about complying with the rules and policies of the app store and they had been doing that for years and then obviously decided they didn't want to comply with the rules anymore and they had pushed something through the review process and then after it had gone through the app review they changed it server-side. So it was kind of a fraudulent move. And so we're going to court. We're coming to tell our story. We're going to talk about the privacy and security aspects of the store and we're confident in our case.
Tim Cook: “I probably won’t be Apple CEO in 10 years”
One of Epic Games' biggest criticisms of the Apple ecosystem is the lack of so-called "freedom" for users to download apps from places other than the App Store. Many have long expressed hope that Apple would allow users to sideload apps onto their device, such as the iPhone. However, Cook explains that sideloading apps would "break the privacy and security model" of the iPhone. Later in the podcast, Tim Cook talks about his relationship with President Biden's administration and says he "probably" won't be CEO of Apple in 10 years. The full 36-minute podcast is now available at the New York Times. (Photo by can yalcin / Bigstockphoto)
