“Apple CEO’s Privacy Letter Indirectly Slams Google, Facebook: seeks to reassure users that company is fully committed to privacy”

This article is about an open letter that Apple CEO Tim Cook released to give consumers clarification on Apple’s privacy and security. This seems timely, and strategic, as many users are showing concerns with how different companies are handling their personal information.

I believe that this is related to positioning, as Tim Cook is positioning his company as ‘secure’ in comparison to large, internet based, social media sites like Facebook and Google. Cook assuages consumer fears by sharing that Apple has “never allowed [outside] access to its servers” and that they don’t “profile or monetize user behavior”.

I’ve always been afraid to press the “save this password to keychain” button. I believe privacy and security are a major concern. Companies like Facebook, Google, and Apple require their millions of users to input a lot of personal information. One can only hope that their information is in good hands when they are using these services. It is now common knowledge that personal information can be shared, and that security can be breached.

Many of these services defend themselves by reminding consumers that they are ‘opting in’ when they create accounts, enter their personal informations, and use the interfaces. However, the use of services like Google are so widespread that it is more of a necessity than an option. For example, I was required to use a Google account as my primary email address in high school, and I was required to make accounts on various interfaces, such as Youtube, to turn in projects and assignments. I couldn’t opt-out of homework, so I had to share some personal information.

Image: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~tdw8957/images/google_cuffs.jpg