WASHINGTON, Nov 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Apple CEO Tim Cook predicts that new
regulations of tech companies and social networks to protect personal data
are “inevitable.”
In an interview with news website Axios being broadcast Sunday on HBO
television, Cook said he expected the US Congress would take up the matter.
“Generally speaking, I am not a big fan of regulation,” Cook said in an
excerpt released by Axios. “I’m a big believer in the free market. But we
have to admit when the free market is not working. And it hasn’t worked here.
I think it’s inevitable that there will be some level of regulation.
“I think the Congress and the administration at some point will pass
something.”
Cook has previously been a proponent of self-regulation, especially as
concerns user data protection.
But following the scandal that saw data consultancy Cambridge Analytica
obtain data from millions of Facebook users, Cook said the industry was now
“beyond” the scope of self-regulation.
Facebook has been trying to fend off concerns about how well it protects
user data and defends against use of the site to spread misinformation aimed
at swaying elections.
Controversies that have battered Facebook since the 2016 presidential
election in the United States have raised questions over whether co-founder
Mark Zuckerberg should keep his post as chief executive.
Turning to gender inequality in the workplace, Cook said the tech industry
has generally been strong in diversity, even though a male-dominated culture
prevails.
“I agree 100 percent from a gender point of view that the (Silicon) Valley
has missed it, and tech in general has missed it,” he said.
However, Cook added, “I’m actually encouraged at this point that there
will be a more marked improvement over time.”