Apple chief executive officer Tim Cook has sent a letter to a group of U.S. lawmakers calling for the passage of new federal privacy legislation in the United States “as soon as possible.”
Cook said there are still “outstanding issues to be resolved among lawmakers,” but that the “areas of agreement appear to far outweigh the differences.”
“The continued absence of this important legislation will unfortunately perpetuate a patchwork approach for privacy rights that leaves too many without the rigorous standards we hope to see as a result of your hard work. We strongly urge you to advance comprehensive privacy legislation as soon as possible, and we stand ready to help in this process in the days ahead,” Tim said.
According to Cook, Apple will “continue to innovate and develop new ways to protect user data,” even though only Congress can offer “strong privacy protections for all Americans.”
The American Data Privacy and Protection Act would provide a “comprehensive nationwide data framework,” including the creation of a strong national framework to protect consumer data privacy and security, comprehensive protection of Americans from discriminatory use of their data, and the obligation of the companies concerned to minimize the collection, processing, and transfer of user data.
Others include requiring covered entities to comply with loyalty duties, requiring covered entities to allow consumers to disable targeted advertising, providing enhanced data protection for children and minors, establishing regulatory parity across the internet ecosystem and promoting innovation and preserving the opportunity for startups and small businesses to grow and compete.
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.