Post by account_disabled on Mar 10, 2024 5:43:16 GMT -5
When Apple CEO Tim Cook privately hosted six Democratic lawmakers, he began the conversation with a plea: for Congress to finally draft privacy legislation after years of federal inaction.
“It was the first topic he brought up,” said representative Suzan DelBene, a former Microsoft (Washington) executive: “The Apple boss talked about the need for privacy across the board.”
But when DelBene discussed its own privacy fee, one that would require companies to obtain consumers' consent before using their sensitive information, Cook did not support it.
A number of privacy advocates and US France Mobile Number List lawmakers say Apple has not put enough effort into federal efforts to strengthen privacy laws. And state lawmakers, who are closer to passing rules to limit data sharing, mention that Apple is an ally in name only, and that it has contributed to lobbying efforts that could undermine some new data protection laws.
While Apple formally supports the idea of a federal privacy law, the company has yet to support the bills proposed on the Hill, unlike Microsoft. “I would say there needs to be a more vocal part of Apple in this debate,” said Sen. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat from Virginia and a fierce critic of technology companies for their privacy violations.
Apple Privacy
In California, Washington and Illinois (home to the state's biggest privacy bills), the iPhone giant has sought to counter or water down bills proposed by local lawmakers, often through its trade associations. That has frustrated lawmakers like California Assemblyman Marc Levine (D), who introduced two privacy bills in his state legislature this year. He and others argue that given the lack of federal progress, states represent the best hope for privacy legislation.
"While Tim Cook's headlines have him really advancing the idea that policy can help control how data is used and misused, that hasn't been seen in policymaking," he said. He also mentioned that he would "welcome a stronger presence from Apple, as well as advocacy from him on what best practices should be."
Apple indirectly opposed the legislation through the trade groups it funded. On the other hand, Levine noted that Apple had only approached him about California's plastic bag ban: “They lobby in all these other areas. They're just not looking forward to privacy."
"We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and is at the heart of what it means to be an American. To that end, we advocate for strong federal legislation that protects everyone, regardless of the state they live in,” said Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz. "We understand the frustration at the state level, we are frustrated too, but this issue is so important that we need to be united across America," he said.
Experts say state privacy protections could influence federal lawmakers as they try to craft a national standard. Politicians and advisers had hoped Apple would counter the more active companies Google and Facebook, those that rely heavily on data sharing.
“It was the first topic he brought up,” said representative Suzan DelBene, a former Microsoft (Washington) executive: “The Apple boss talked about the need for privacy across the board.”
But when DelBene discussed its own privacy fee, one that would require companies to obtain consumers' consent before using their sensitive information, Cook did not support it.
A number of privacy advocates and US France Mobile Number List lawmakers say Apple has not put enough effort into federal efforts to strengthen privacy laws. And state lawmakers, who are closer to passing rules to limit data sharing, mention that Apple is an ally in name only, and that it has contributed to lobbying efforts that could undermine some new data protection laws.
While Apple formally supports the idea of a federal privacy law, the company has yet to support the bills proposed on the Hill, unlike Microsoft. “I would say there needs to be a more vocal part of Apple in this debate,” said Sen. Mark R. Warner, a Democrat from Virginia and a fierce critic of technology companies for their privacy violations.
Apple Privacy
In California, Washington and Illinois (home to the state's biggest privacy bills), the iPhone giant has sought to counter or water down bills proposed by local lawmakers, often through its trade associations. That has frustrated lawmakers like California Assemblyman Marc Levine (D), who introduced two privacy bills in his state legislature this year. He and others argue that given the lack of federal progress, states represent the best hope for privacy legislation.
"While Tim Cook's headlines have him really advancing the idea that policy can help control how data is used and misused, that hasn't been seen in policymaking," he said. He also mentioned that he would "welcome a stronger presence from Apple, as well as advocacy from him on what best practices should be."
Apple indirectly opposed the legislation through the trade groups it funded. On the other hand, Levine noted that Apple had only approached him about California's plastic bag ban: “They lobby in all these other areas. They're just not looking forward to privacy."
"We believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and is at the heart of what it means to be an American. To that end, we advocate for strong federal legislation that protects everyone, regardless of the state they live in,” said Apple spokesperson Fred Sainz. "We understand the frustration at the state level, we are frustrated too, but this issue is so important that we need to be united across America," he said.
Experts say state privacy protections could influence federal lawmakers as they try to craft a national standard. Politicians and advisers had hoped Apple would counter the more active companies Google and Facebook, those that rely heavily on data sharing.