Companies such as Google and Facebook rely on your personal information, search habits, and online behavior to determine what kind of ads it can serve you. In fact Instagram recently announced that they would be stepping up their ad efforts as well which will also rely on your browsing habits and personal information.While we’re aware of what these companies are doing, there are some out there who aren’t happy the business practices of these companies, one of them being Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. Speaking at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection, Cook lambasted these companies for their business practices.
Cook did not name any companies in his speech but it’s pretty obvious who he’s talking about. According to Cook, “Some of the most prominent and successful companies (in Silicon Valley) have built their businesses by lulling their customers into complacency about their personal information. They’re gobbling up everything they can learn about you and trying to monetize it. We think that’s wrong. And it’s not the kind of company that Apple wants to be.”
Some might argue that these companies are providing a free service in exchange for your personal information, such as your email address, so is it really that big of a deal? Cook seems to think so. “You might like these so-called free services, but we don’t think they’re worth having your email, your search history and now even your family photos data mined and sold off for God-knows-what advertising purpose. We think some day, customers will see this for what it is.” What do you guys think? Are you in agreement with Cook’s sentiments or do you think it’s a fair trade for a free service?
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