Apple CEO calls for privacy action as reforms in focus

[NEW YORK] Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook took to Twitter on Monday to join a number of voices calling for greater privacy protections.

It's not the first time the company executive has called for action on the topic. Earlier this month, in a column published by Time, Mr Cook called on the Federal Trade Commission to track data brokers and monitor how they use people's digital information.

Elsewhere on the day being dubbed "Data Privacy Day", Adobe Inc announced it was teaming up with OneTrust to develop new tools and offerings "that address a few of the unique privacy challenges in the mobile space", while Facebook Inc launched a Privacy and Data Use Hub.

This came as the European Union (EU) Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said Facebook "has to do much more to restore trust of the regulators and many of its users" to show compliance with the EU's new data protection rules, known as GDPR.

Ireland's data privacy regulator, meanwhile, said it's seeking an urgent briefing with Facebook on its tentative plans to integrate the Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram platforms.

Apple reports quarterly earnings after the New York market close on Tuesday. Facebook is scheduled to publish results on Wednesday, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

BLOOMBERG