Tim Cook gives a speech against the “industrial data complex”, uploading unpublished data

Apple CEO Tim Cook took the stage at the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) annual conference on Tuesday to talk about privacy, security, ad tracking and offline app downloads.

On the contrary, he stated that Apple remains “committed to protecting people from the surveillance-based industrial complex of data.”To thunderous applause from privacy professionals, he declared his support for US privacy practices similar to those adopted in Europe in recent years.

On the other hand, he said he and Apple are “deeply concerned about regulations that would undermine privacy and security for some other purpose”such as protecting competition.

While he didn’t name them specifically, he was likely referring to the European Union’s Digital Marketplace Act and the US Open App Marketplace Act, which contain language to force platform owners like Apple to allow unpublished apps to be downloaded.

The current version of the Digital Markets Act no longer includes a sideloading requirement, but it has not yet been finalized. The Open App Markets Act still requires downloading unpublished apps; The Senate Judiciary Committee recently approved it, but it has not yet been presented to Congress.

Of new rules like these, Cooke said:

This means that data-hungry companies will be able to bypass our privacy policies and track our users again against their will. It also has the potential to give attackers a way to bypass the sophisticated protections we have implemented by putting them in direct contact with our users, and we have already seen the vulnerability that occurs on devices from other companies.

He gave one notable example to support this view: Android users who downloaded seemingly legitimate COVID-19 tracking apps and found their phones infected with ransomware as a result.

“If we are forced to run unverified apps on the iPhone, the unintended consequences will be very serious,” Cook said. “And when we see this, we feel compelled to speak up and ask politicians to work with us to achieve goals that I truly believe we share without violating privacy.”

One of the key parts of his argument is that downloading unpublished apps could become so commonplace that important apps would only be installed that way, rather than through the App Store, which Cook claims is safer. If that happens, Cook argues, then the idea of ​​giving users a choice will disappear because they may feel the need to download unpublished apps, which puts them at risk for attackers.

Cook also tried to reassure listeners that “Apple believes in competition.”However, he offered no alternative solutions for those concerned that Apple’s control of the App Store allows it to charge app developers exorbitant fees or subject developers to capricious or unfair rules.

Cook’s speech was not the first time an Apple executive has spoken at a major conference to argue that new regulation to ensure constant competition could undermine user security and privacy. Craig Federighi delivered a similar speech at Web Summit 2021.