Tim Cook has launched his most virulent attack against companies like Facebook that accumulate amounts of "industrial" data

Yves Herman / Reuters

• Apple CEO Tim Cook on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on technology companies that he said had accumulated "industrial" amounts of personal data.
• Speaking at a conference on privacy protection in Brussels, he said storing personal data amounted to surveillance and should make us "very uncomfortable at home." ".
• Cook did not mention Facebook and Google, but he made slightly veiled remarks about their approach to privacy protection.
• He added that Apple would support the introduction of US federal laws on privacy protection.

The CEO of Apple has launched its most virulent attack against technology companies that accumulate data.

In a speech delivered at a conference on the protection of privacy in the European Parliament in Brussels, Tim Cook decried the "industrial data complex" which, he said, was created to maximize profits.

"Our personal information, from daily to very personal, is turned into weapons against us with military efficiency," Cook said at the 40th International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners on Wednesday.

"Every day, billions of dollars change hands and countless decisions are made based on our likes and dislikes, our friends and families, our relationships and conversations, our wishes and fears, our hopes and our dreams.

"These data threads, each quite harmless, are carefully assembled, synthesized, exchanged and sold.This process, created in the extreme, creates a sustainable digital profile and allows companies to know you better than yourself.

"We should not be concerned about the consequences, it's about surveillance, and these stocks of personal data only serve to enrich the companies that collect them. This should destabilize us. "

Cook has not mentioned Facebook or Google, but they are an obvious target because they have access to huge personal information deposits that allow them to personalize advertising.

Cook once criticized Facebook for its approach to privacy, claiming Mark Zuckerberg's company went beyond self-regulation. Shortly after, Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, said that the company totally disagreed with Cook's description of his product.

Cook calls for US federal privacy laws

Mr Cook then praised the recently enacted European privacy laws, adding that it was time for the United States to introduce similar regulations.

"It's time for the rest of the world, including my home country, to do the same," he said. "At Apple, we fully support a comprehensive federal law on privacy protection in the United States," he added after a wave of applause.

Cook acknowledged that his point of view was not necessarily popular in Silicon Valley.

"Many people would prefer that I did not say all that," he said. "Some oppose any formal privacy legislation – others will support the reform in public, then resist and undermine it behind closed doors.

"They can tell you," Our companies will never be able to realize the true potential of technology if they are constrained by privacy regulations. "But this notion is not just wrong, it is destructive."

You can watch Cook's full speech here:

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