Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday slammed Facebook for profiting from its users’ data — and called for the social media giant to be more tightly regulated.
Such detailed profiles of people, with “incredibly deep personal information that is patched together from several sources” like Facebook has compiled, shouldn’t be allowed to exist, Cook said.
“I think the best regulation is no regulation, is self-regulation,” Cook said. “However, I think we’re beyond that here, and I do think that it’s time for a set of people to think deeply about what can be done here.”
Cook’s comments come as Facebook and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg face criticism, lawsuits and political inquiries over how Cambridge Analytica, a data analysis firm that worked with President Donald Trump’s election campaign, was able to acquire the user data of 50 million Facebook users.
Speaking at a town hall event hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Recode’s Kara Swisher, Cook said Facebook put profits above all else when it allegedly allowed user data to be taken through connected apps. The event is part of MSNBC’s “Revolution” series.
When asked what he would do if he were in Zuckerberg’s position, Cook replied: “What would I do? I wouldn’t be in this situation.”
“The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customer, if our customer was our product,” Cook said. “We’ve elected not to do that.”
