Google CEO Sundar Pichai has taken a side-swipe at Apple, suggesting that the company is effectively selling privacy as a luxury good.
Pichai doesn’t directly name the company, but the reference is clear …
Google’s head made his remarks in an op-ed for The New York Times.
Apple has of course made its commitment to privacy a major selling point, with CEO Tim Cook not above similar digs at unnamed companies that everyone knows includes Google.
“For everyone” is a core philosophy for Google; it’s built into our mission to create products that are universally accessible and useful. That’s why Search works the same for everyone, whether you’re a professor at Harvard or a student in rural Indonesia […]
Our mission compels us to take the same approach to privacy. For us, that means privacy cannot be a luxury good offered only to people who can afford to buy premium products and services. Privacy must be equally available to everyone in the world.
Pichai clearly feels a need to counter the narrative that Google is all about selling your data to advertisers. He says everything Google does is based on two golden rules.
He then goes on to outline three ways in which Google’s use of your data is beneficial.
Pinchai also echoes Tim Cook’s call for a federal privacy law along the lines of Europe’s GDPR, with its four key requirements.
Second, products use anonymous data in aggregate to be more helpful to everyone. Traffic data in Google Maps reduces gridlock by offering people alternate routes. Queries in Google Translate make translations more accurate for billions of people. Anonymized searches over time help Search understand your questions, even if you misspell them.
Third, a small subset of data helps serve ads that are relevant and that provide the revenue that keeps Google products free and accessible. That revenue also sustains a broad community of content creators, which in turn helps keep content on the web free for everyone. The data used in ads could be based on, for example, something you searched for or an online store you browsed in the past. It does not include the personal data in apps such as Docs or Gmail. Still, if receiving a customized ads experience isn’t helpful, you can turn it off. The choice is yours and we try to make it simple.
Although companies like Google and Facebook depend on user data to serve personalized ads, there is a general feeling in the industry now that legislation will provide the clarity companies need to make future plans.
What’s your view? Is Apple selling privacy as a luxury good? Or is it simply doing what it feels is right for its customers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: Jack Gruber/USA Today
