Snowden on Apple privacy initiatives


Edward Snowden:

"I think in the current situation, it doesn't matter if he's being honest or dishonest. What really matters is that he's obviously got a commercial incentive to differentiate himself from competitors like Google. But if he does that, if he directs Apple's business model to be different, to say "we're not in the business of collecting and selling information. We're in the business of creating and selling devices that are superior", then that's a good thing for privacy. That's a good thing for customers.

I think it's a good message that if you're a proponent of privacy, you should walk the walk and support companies that demonstrate a commitment to customer's privacy. Interestingly, Snowden also said that if Apple backtracks, it would be a betrayal of trust, perhaps meaning worse than companies offering little privacy protections but are at open and consistent about that stance.

I think Apple's focus on customer privacy is strategic, but also generally fits their business model. I also think it's genuine as in emphasizing privacy in a lot of ways puts the company at a disadvantage. A disadvantage such as the upcoming Siri improvements that could be more robust if Apple did similar data mining as Google for Google Now. Also, Apple is often at odds with partners who want customer data in when selling content.