Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level by Leander Kahney

Author:Leander Kahney
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2019-04-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

Cook Fights the Law, and Wins

Privacy is another of Cook’s values that has remained high on Apple’s agenda since he took over as CEO. From the earliest mention of privacy issues in 2013 to the San Bernardino dilemma to the present day, he has taken the issue of user privacy very seriously.

Protecting the privacy of Apple users has always been a key focus for Cook, who has stated he is a “very private person” who likes “being anonymous.” Under Cook, Apple has significantly bolstered the privacy controls available to users on their devices. Almost every software update released during his tenure has increased privacy protections and made it easier for consumers to ensure that their most sensitive data doesn’t end up in the wrong hands, including advertisers. The expansion of privacy controls started in 2012 with iOS 6, the first iPhone and iPad update developed almost entirely under Cook’s leadership.

iOS 6 introduced a dedicated Privacy menu inside the Settings app, giving users fairly simple controls over which content and data their apps had access to. The menu initially offered six sections, each containing toggles that made it easier than ever to manage permissions for each app. One section, Location Services, allowed users to block certain system services, including cellular network search, Genius for apps, and iAds, from tracking their location. iOS 6 also gave users the ability to limit ad tracking for the first time, making it more difficult for developers to deliver targeted ads based on their interests and browsing activities. This made the iPhone and iPad some of the first mobile devices to offer this protection, which has since made its way to other major platforms.

Privacy and security improvements also played an important role in iOS 7, unveiled at Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June 2013. The update’s biggest talking point was its dramatic and controversial redesign, devised by Jony Ive, who had been tasked with overseeing software design following the departure of Scott Forstall in October 2012. The privacy and security improvements played second fiddle, but were just as important. Apple added support for Touch ID, its new fingerprint recognition system that debuted with the iPhone 5S. Touch ID was hailed at the time as a major step forward in security. It made securing a phone easy and negated the need to type in a passcode for every unlock, which encouraged more users to start securing their iPhones.

iOS 7 also brought Activation Lock, a feature that prevents lost or stolen devices from being wiped and reactivated without the owner’s iCloud password. Activation Lock makes the iPhone and iPad significantly less appealing to would-be thieves, who quickly realized that they would not be able to sell what essentially became the world’s most attractive brick as soon as it was no longer in the possession of its rightful owner. Police data published in 2014 revealed that iPhone thefts in San Francisco had fallen 38 percent since Activation Lock was made available in September 2013, while thefts in London and New York City had dropped 24 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

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