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Apple CEO Tim Cook Calls Ads That Chase You Across the Web ‘Creepy’

By
Lisa Marie Segarra
Lisa Marie Segarra
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By
Lisa Marie Segarra
Lisa Marie Segarra
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 7, 2018, 4:55 PM ET
Apple Inc. Introduces New Low-Cost iPads And Education Software
Tim Cook, chief executive office of Apple Inc., speaks during an event at Lane Technical College Prep High School in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. Apple is making announcements in a bid to win back students and teachers from Google and Microsoft Corp. Photo by Christopher Dilts—Bloomberg/Getty ImagesChristopher Dilts—Bloomberg/Getty Images

Apple CEO Tim Cook is no stranger to wading into online privacy debates. His latest targets are ads that follow you online, appearing on nearly every website you visit.

“To me it’s creepy when I look at something and all of a sudden it’s chasing me all the way across the web. I don’t like that,” Cook said during an MSNBC interview with MSNBC’s Chris Hayes and Recode’s Kara Swisher.

Cook also took aim at Facebook’s latest Cambridge Analytica scandal saying that everyone should know what data they’re sharing and what others can learn about them from information, noting that “privacy is a human right.”

“The truth is we could make a ton of money if we monetized our customers. If our customer was our product, we could make a ton of money,” Cook said. “We’ve elected not to do that.”

It’s not the first time Cook and Facebook CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg have made comments with opposing views on the services and their effects on users’ privacy.

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