Apple Distances Itself From Facebook, Google on Data Collection

Without specifically naming Facebook or Google, Apple tried to distance itself from the online platforms Tuesday, telling House lawmakers “the customer is not our product.” Apple’s business model “does not depend on collecting vast amounts of personally identifiable information to enrich targeted profiles marketed to advertising,” Apple Director-Federal Government Affairs Timothy Powderly wrote House Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. The letter was a response to a July 9 query (see 1807090037) to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Alphabet CEO Larry Page from Walden and Reps. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn.; Gregg Harper, R-Miss.; and Bob Latta, R-Ohio. The lawmakers accused Apple of collecting “non-triggered” user audio from mobile devices without disclosing the practice to users, and Google of inappropriately scraping email data. “We believe privacy is a fundamental human right and purposely design our products and services to minimize our collection of customer data,” Powderly wrote. “When we do collect data, we're transparent about it and work to disassociate it from the user.”