BRUSSELS—In his strongest comments to date on data privacy, Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday said the company supports a national U.S. data protection law that mirrors Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). He also slammed companies that profited from people’s data while unleashing powerful, negative forces, including manipulating voter sentiment and inciting violence.
Speaking at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners, Cook told attendees that “platforms and algorithms that promised to improve our lives can actually magnify our worst human tendencies,” referencing the Myanmar government’s alleged campaign to incite violence against Rohingya Muslims via social media platforms.
