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Cook's letter sought to draw contrast between Apple and other tech companies.
On Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook published a letter on Apple's website detailing Apple's commitment to user privacy following the iCloud hacking scandal.
"A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realize that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer," said Cook. "You’re the product. But at Apple, we believe a great customer experience shouldn’t come at the expense of your privacy."
Cook is referring to companies like Google and Facebook that collect data for targeted advertising. He recently told PBS News' Charlie Rose he was "offended" by tech companies collecting personal information about their users.
Apple revised its privacy policy alongside the rollout of iOS 8, its latest mobile operating system that launched Wednesday.
The letter was part of a new website from Apple that explains in greater detail how users can protect their privacy in light of the recent hacking of nude celebrity photos from iCloud accounts. One of the biggest criticisms following the hacks was that Apple hasn't done a good job communicating to its customers how they can protect their privacy.
The new site seems to be a step to fix that.
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Cook also addressed the company's compliance with government programs revealed by Edward Snowden.
"Finally, I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services," he wrote. "We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will."
Here's the full letter from Cook:
At Apple, your trust means everything to us. That’s why we respect your privacy and protect it with strong encryption, plus strict policies that govern how all data is handled.
Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of all our hardware, software, and services, including iCloud and new services like Apple Pay. And we continue to make improvements. Two-step verification, which we encourage all our customers to use, in addition to protecting your Apple ID account information, now also protects all of the data you store and keep up to date with iCloud.
We believe in telling you up front exactly what’s going to happen to your personal information and asking for your permission before you share it with us. And if you change your mind later, we make it easy to stop sharing with us. Every Apple product is designed around those principles. When we do ask to use your data, it’s to provide you with a better user experience.