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Steve Jobs 'Warned' Mark Zuckerberg And Facebook About Privacy Issues

Steve Jobs 'Warned' Mark Zuckerberg And Facebook About Privacy Issues

Footage has resurfaced from 2010 showing Steve Jobs predicting the kind of privacy issues Facebook is now accused of

Ronan O'Shea

Ronan O'Shea

Social media giant Facebook has experienced a challenging period of late, facing much criticism in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal.

The data firm is under fire for taking Facebook users' information (without their knowledge) and using it for political purposes in campaigns including the Brexit referendum and the 2016 US Presidential election.

Founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg in particular has been heavily criticised for not publicising Facebook's privacy settings and how they work more sufficiently.

Footage has now re-emerged of the late Steve Jobs talking about potential privacy issues with the social media platform in 2010.

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's D8 conference just over a year before his death, Jobs was unequivocal in his worries over data and privacy.

Shortly before the end of a talk with Jobs - of which Zuckerberg was an audience member - an interviewer asked the Apple mogul about the burgeoning issue of privacy.

"Silicon Valley is not monolithic," Jobs said. "We've always had a very different view of privacy than some of our colleagues in the Valley. We take privacy extremely seriously."

He stated that he and his company worried a great deal about the issue in their technology (in this case, the iPhone), giving the example of a 14-year-old being 'stalked'.

PA

Jobs went on to say that his company insisted on a notification that informs app users that their location will be known, while also insisting on asking for permission for that to be the case, each time it is used.

"A lot of people in the Valley think we're really old fashioned about this... and maybe we are," he added.

When it was put forward that Apple would inevitably be drawn towards a more Cloud-focused business model - i.e. one that increasingly consumed people's data - Jobs made his case for what privacy meant to him and the tech company.

PA

"Privacy means people know what they're signing up for, in plain English, and repeatedly. That's what it means. I'm an optimist, I believe people are smart," he said.

"Some people want to share more data than other people. Ask them. Ask them every time. Make them tell you to stop asking them, if they get tired of you asking. Let them know precisely what you're going to do with their data."

Amidst the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, it has been claimed that Facebook does not make users sufficiently aware of when their data is likely to be shared with third parties.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Social Media, Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg