Apple CEO Tim Cook is set to speak at the White House cybersecurity summit on Friday at Stanford University. The Hill reports the summit is an arena for tech companies and the government to discuss encryption of users’ personal information.
The White House is expected to reveal its next executive action on cybersecurity at the summit, which will bring together tech executives, leading academics and government officials to discuss ways in which the government can better collaborate with the private sector on cybersecurity initiatives.
Cook and other tech company executives have called for limitations on the government’s authority to collect user information, and for more transparency about data demands and oversight.
For the government’s part, the FBI has loudly expressed concerns that privacy features built into mobile operating platforms like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android prevent investigators from accessing important data on a terrorist’s device that could help them prevent a crime or attack.
A Department of Justice official recently played the “it’s for the children” trump card by claiming an investigator’s inability to access a criminal’s device could lead to the death of a child.
FBI Assistant Director Joe Demarest Jr. and Secret Service Deputy Director A.T. Smith are two of the government officials who will also speak on Friday.
