The real reason, Tim Cook, wants the government to regulate user privacy

"Consumers should not have to tolerate a new year of business irresponsibly hoarding huge user profiles, data breaches that seem out of control and the ability to control our own digital lives who disappears. "

No public company requires government regulation unless it provides them with a competitive advantage. Indeed, any public company that "does what it takes" in a way that reduces its stock price may find itself in short of a lawsuit or a revolt of the shareholders.

So, under the circumstances, it's a legitimate question to ask 1) why is Apple now at the center of debates about user privacy, and 2) why did Cook suddenly feel the need to do a public statement on this issue?

Apple is not opposed to collecting user information, as it is the case in iTunes and the App Store. And Apple is not opposed to using this data for targeted advertising. However, Apple has chosen to build its leading business model around the sale of consumer electronics products and copyrighted content rather than online advertising.

This is not true of Apple's competition. Apple is increasingly competing in its main markets with Google (Android), Facebook (Portal) and Amazon (Alexa, Prime). These three companies are aggressive information gleaners, whose ability to collect a wealth of user data is crucial to their business models.

As a result, if Apple convinced the FTC to regulate user confidentiality, it would be tantamount to hitting three of its major competitors where it hurts the most. So that's the "why" of Cook's sudden interest in user privacy. But why now?

I suspect that the timing of Cook's editorial was determined by Microsoft's accidental revelation (and subsequent concealment) of his project in Bali, which would do exactly what Cook wants the FTC to do, but for the benefit of Microsoft.

As I explained previously, if Microsoft were successful with Bali, Microsoft would become the intermediary of a large part of the Internet, which could bring it back to the dominance of the market which Microsoft enjoyed at the beginning of the 90's.

Apple has not forgotten how Microsoft almost pushed Apple to withdraw from its business or how Microsoft had bailed out Apple (oh, shame!) In order to preserve the fiction of a competitive market.

Apple may fear competition from Google, Amazon and Facebook, but actively disgust Microsoft. In short, Cook wants the FTC to regulate the privacy of users, because it would be a real misfortune for the four companies that she hates the most, especially her worst argument.