Apple CEO Tim Cook to Discuss Privacy, China, Alex Jones and More in VICE Interview Tonight

[MacRumors]

Apple CEO Tim Cook recently sat down for an interview with VICE News Tonight's Elle Reeve, and the footage from the interview is set to air tonight.

According to a teaser shared by VICE News Tonight, Cook will cover topics that include the importance of privacy, Apple's relationship with China, and why Apple blocked conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars app and podcast.

Ahead of the interview, VICE shared several quotes from Cook on the above-mentioned topics. On privacy and its impact on Siri, for example, Cook said that Apple doesn't believe that personal data is needed to make services better. "Whoever's telling you that -- it's a bunch of bonk," he said.

Cook also said Apple has not made it easier for the Chinese government to get data from Chinese customers because the company uses the same encryption everywhere.

It's not easy for anybody to get it. I mean it's it's encrypted like it is everywhere. And so no, I wouldn't I wouldn't get caught up in the, 'Where's the location of it?' I mean, we have servers located in many different countries in the world. They are not easier to get data from being in one country versus the next.

On the topic of Alex Jones, Cook said that the removal of the Infowars show from Apple podcasts is an example of the importance of human curation. Cook also said that Apple does not lean one way or the other politically, and it wasn't taking a political stance removing Jones' offensive content.

What users want from us and what we've always provided them is a curated platform. We think the what the user wants is someone that does review these apps, someone that does review the podcasts, someone that on like Apple news, where a human is selecting the top stories. And that's what we do. We don't take a political stand. We're not leaning one way or the other. You can tell that from the stuff on the App Store and in podcasts etc. You'll see everything from very conservative to very liberal. And that's the way I think it should be.

Cook went on to explain that there was no coordination between tech companies after Facebook and Twitter both removed Infowars content after Apple did. "I've never even had a conversation about [Alex Jones] with other tech companies," he said. "We make our decisions independently and I think that's important."

We asked Apple CEO @tim_cook for examples of when he has chosen privacy over profit. "Well that would be a very long list, to be honest with you."Watch the full exclusive interview on #VICENewsTonight at 7:30 PM EDT on @HBO. pic.twitter.com/zD3t43B4TN - VICE News (@vicenews) October 2, 2018

To see Cook's full range of comments, make sure to watch Vice News Tonight at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time on HBO.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple CEO Tim Cook to Discuss Privacy, China, Alex Jones and More in VICE Interview Tonight

 

[SoApple]

Can’t wait for this thread to get heated.

Butter on my popcorn or nah?

 

[miniyou64]

Sure. No coordination.

People who think this type of censorship is ok, should really think a little further ahead and realize it’s a dangerous precedent for everyone.

 

[weup togo]

What users want from us and what we've always provided them is a curated platform.

Nobody ever asked these people to act as censors or nannies. SJ was a prude, and the nanny behavior just stuck. Customers put up with it because the hardware and software are good, not because their biased editorial decisions benefit anyone.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Banning Alex Jones from the majority of social media platforms was long overdue. This man has just been spreading hate, division and outrageous conspiracy theories. He's not crazy and knows very well what he's doing. It's all a sham to push all the useless garbage that he sells on his store. Normally I won't be in favor of anyone getting banned but this guy just took it way too far.

There are tons of commentators I don't agree with like Ben Shapiro on the more mainstream side and Stefan Molyneux on the more crazy "red-pill" side but I would never be in favor of censoring them. They both conduct themselves in a respectful manner and do not harass others.

 

[AngerDanger]

Oh, I’m just here to read fellow MacRumors readers' glowing admiration of Tim Cook!

 

[miniyou64]

Nobody ever asked these people to act as censors or nannies. SJ was a prude, and the nanny behavior just stuck. Customers put up with it because the hardware and software are good, not because their biased editorial decisions benefit anyone.

I think Steve Jobs had a great handle on it. I remember when there was an App counting down the time for President Bush left in office that was rejected. Covered here on Macrumors. And Steve said something to the effect of “whats the point of offending half are users? Regardless of my personal viewpoint.” Clearly, Tim feels like he needs to dictate.

 

[lec0rsaire]

Nobody ever asked these people to act as censors or nannies. SJ was a prude, and the nanny behavior just stuck. Customers put up with it because the hardware and software are good, not because their biased editorial decisions benefit anyone.

Steve was definitely not a prude. The guy lived and breathed the hippie and psychedelic lifestyle. It's just that he realized that in order to reach the largest audience possible, he had to keep his ecosystem as clean and family friendly as possible. If people want porn or other controversial content, they are free to access it on the web but they probably don't belong in an App Store that young children are also using.

 

[Rogifan]

Sure. No coordination.

People who think this type of censorship is ok, should really think a little further ahead and realize it’s a dangerous precedent for everyone.

So Apple, a private company, should be forced to carry/sell anything? The only thing I’d quibble with Cook about is there’s plenty of stuff on iTunes that some might consider offensive. So where do they draw the line on what’s acceptable or not?

 

[FrenchRoasted]

So Apple, a private company, should be forced to carry/sell anything? The only thing I’d quibble with Cook about is there’s plenty of stuff on iTunes that some might consider offensive. So where do they draw the line on what’s acceptable or not?

Who is talking about force? We're all expressing our opinions about what direction a company should go. The ultimate vote is with our wallets of course.

 

[luvbug]

Sure. No coordination.

People who think this type of censorship is ok, should really think a little further ahead and realize it’s a dangerous precedent for everyone.

Hate is never OK. If you think messages along the lines that Alex Jones spews forth are OK, then I guess you think child porn is OK, too. Sorry, but the human species has not matured enough, yet, for society to be capable of simply having no boundaries at all. If you think Alex Jones should have his bully pulpit, then you are implying "NO boundaries", from my point of view.

 

[swingerofbirch]

I don't think Apple can claim it actively curates its stores rather than the more accurate picture which is that it pulls items in reaction to people pointing out problems, whether it's content or the fact that they're selling malware (as happened recently on the Mac App Store). Alex Jones didn't appear overnight, and neither did those malware apps Apple was selling.

And why is the fourth highest paid app still an anti-virus app on the Mac App Store? What are these viruses people are getting on their Macs?

 

[miniyou64]

How deluded does a person have to be to make that kind of jump you just did? What you said is actually disgusting. Should I have you banned permanently?

Hate is never OK. If you think messages along the lines that Alex Jones spews forth are OK, then I guess you think child porn is OK, too. Sorry, but the human species has not matured enough, yet, for society to be capable of simply having no boundaries at all. If you think Alex Jones should have his bully pulpit, then you are implying "NO boundaries", from my point of view.