Tim Cook is set to appear in an interview taken by The New York Times‘ Kara Swisher, where he talks about the Parler app fiasco, and the criticism Apple has received in response to iOS 14’s App Tracking Transparency.
A preview of the interview was shared by Kara Swisher on Twitter. The full interview is set to go live on 5th April 2021. In the preview shared, Tim Cook says that he’s “shocked” at the criticism Apple has received in recent months over upcoming privacy changes.
Swisher asked Tim, “What is your response to Facebook’s response — which is quite vehement — calling you essentially an existential crisis to their business?” to which he replied, “All we’re doing, Kara, is giving the user the choice whether to be tracked or not. And I think it’s hard to argue against that. I’ve been — I’ve been shocked that there’s been pushback on this to this degree.”
In a follow-up question where Swisher asked Tim about the impact iOS 14’s app tracking transparency could have on Facebook, Tim replied, “I’m not focused on Facebook. So I don’t know.”
Apple plans to roll out App Tracking Transparency with iOS 14.5 this Spring. The feature will force advertisers to ask for user’s permission to track their app usage and make it harder for them to show ads based on the user’s usage. This particular move has drawn a lot of criticism from companies like Facebook and Snapchat.
Facebook initially ran a full-page ad criticizing iOS 14’s app tracking transparency. The company then claimed that the iOS 14 privacy feature, if implemented, would change the internet for the worse. Later, in a Clubhouse room, Mark Zuckerberg admitted that the changes could prove beneficial for Facebook.
Tim Cook also talks about the controversial Parler app, the power of Big Tech, and what it’s like being called Tim Apple in the full interview, which is set to go live on Monday.
Do you side with Apple when it comes to privacy? How well do you think Apple performs when it comes to protecting users’ privacy? Let us know in the comments section below!
