Tim Cook reiterates Apple's stand on encryption; says privacy and national security can co-exist: Report

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple CEO, Tim Cook seems to have made it clear that he is still against giving any government backdoor access to user encrypted data. Cook made this crystal clear stating that weakening encryption tools in order to give access to government agencies was not the answer to prevent cyber attacks. His views came across from an interview on CBS Corp.’s “60 Minutes” that airs on 20 December. While the interview was conducted before the Paris attacks took place, the Apple CEO remained firm that weakening encryption was not the answer. Clearly, his opinions have not changed as excerpts from the show state, “There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door,” said Tim Cook. “But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door’s for everybody, for good guys and bad guys. I don’t believe that the trade-off here is privacy versus national security. I think that’s an overly simplistic view. We’re America. We should have both.” And Apple seems pretty firm on its decision as well, as was recently revealed that a the company’s encryption technology is so strong that even Apple cannot intervene. This came across as news back in October, where Apple told a US judge that it was impossible to break into an iPhone that runs its latest operating system. According to a report from Reuters, The same interview also sheds light on how Apple CEO mocked the notion that the tech giant was avoiding taxes in the United States. “Apple pays every tax dollar we owe,” Cook told CBS 60 Minutes’ Charlie Rose in an interview.