History has shown the world the perils of sacrificing consumer's right to privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook warns at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection.
After talking up Apple Pay and the formidable safeguards backed into the virtual wallet, Cook wrapped up his speech by reminding other technology companies of the important of respecting the privacy of their customers. When private data gets into the wrong hands, that information can lead play a role in unnecessary deaths of users, according to Cook.
"We still live in a world where all people are not treated equally," Cook said. "Too many people do not feel free to practice their religion or express their opinion or love who they choose [in] a world in which that information can make the difference between life and death."
Technology gives consumers and companies the ability to avoid the aforementioned threat, Cook said. Cook believes that the solution consists of using that tech and by working together, he stated.
"If those of us in position of responsibility fail to do everything in our power to protect the right of privacy, we risk something far more valuable than money -- we risk our way of life," said Cook.
While Cook said it will take everyone working together to preserve the privacy of consumer, he stated that Apple makes privacy a priority from the conception of a device to it supporting it after it has made it into the consumer's hands.
"At Apple, we start with a very simple premise," Cook said. "Our customers' trust means everything to us and we spent decades working to earn that trust."
Threats to privacy also comes from those looking to make financial gain by victimizing others, Cook stated as began to point out the costs of cyberattack on the individual and the economy as a whole. Hackers will do all that they can in order to steal data, but the news isn't all bad, Cook stated.
"There is some good news," said Cook. "The good news is we have the ability to protect people form this growing threat."
Despite Cook's assertion that Apple does all that it can to protect the privacy of its users, it still found itself at the center of one of the most embarrassing security breaches in recent years. A basic vulnerability enable hackers to siphon hundreds of nude images of celebrities from Apple's iCloud, though Cook's company patched up the flaw in a matter of days.
"We believe deeply that everyone has the right to privacy and security," stated Cook at the summit.
