Apple CEO Says Obama Needs to Embrace 'Privacy First' Philosophy

Apple chief executive Tim Cook on Friday laid out one of the most forceful defenses of digital privacy ever given by the leader of a major tech company, likening the fight to protect user data to a new human-rights frontier.

Cook, speaking at a White House summit on cybersecurity at Stanford University just before President Obama's scheduled address, said the failure to protect privacy can have "dire consequences" in a world suffering from discrimination and bigotry.

"We still live in a world where not all people are treated equally. Too many people do not feel free to practice their religion, or express their opinion, or love who they choose—or love who they choose," Cook said, repeating the last part for emphasis. "A world in which that information can make the difference between life and death."

Cook added: "If those of us in positions of responsibility fail to do everything in our power to protect the right of privacy, we risk something far more valuable than money. We risk our way of life. Fortunately, technology gives us the tools to avoid these risks, and it is my sincere hope that by using them, and by working together, we will."

Cook's brief but rousing speech crescendoed into a full-throated endorsement of a "privacy-first" philosophy, arriving as the Obama administration is busy pushing its cybersecurity agenda in the wake of last year's devastating hack on Sony Pictures. But that White House priority has met resistance from a number of civil-liberties groups and some indifference from blue-chip tech companies, many of which still are stinging from the Snowden revelations that began more than a year and a half ago.

Cook repeatedly insisted that digital privacy and digital security were not mutually exclusive concepts. He also took a thinly veiled shot at some of Apple's competitors, such as Google and Facebook, by noting that his company was not in the business of "selling your personal data."

"We don't sell advertisers any information from your email content ... or your web browsing history," Cook said. "We don't know your credit card number, what you bought, or how much you paid—and we don't want to."

Cook is the only high-profile tech executive to attend Friday's summit. CEOs from several other companies were invited but declined to attend, suggesting ongoing tensions stemming from the Snowden disclosures.

Cook also used his address to announce a partnership with the federal government that will allow people to use ApplePay—the company's new mobile payment technology—for things like admission at national parks and possibly social security payments beginning in September.

ApplePay provides one more layer of security for consumers than traditional payment cards, which can be breached by malicious hackers. The app launched last year, and the company has pushed it as a model for the future of the secure payment industry.

Apple and Google have been locked in a standoff with the Obama administration since both companies announced last year they would begin deploying default encryption protections on their new products. The shift toward more stident privacy protections has compelled FBI Director James Comey and others to warn that such too-tough-to-crack technology will handicap law enforcement's ability to hunt down criminals and could threaten national security.

Following Cook, Obama delivered his own remarks that discussed the importance of private-public partnerships in bolstering the nation's cybersecurity. Obama also signed an executive order that is intended to pave the way for increased sharing of digital data between government and business.