"I feel really good about the relationship, not only the government, but with the people," he said. And like every good relationship, there's been some ups and downs for both parties. Asked whether there is any room for nuance or a lower standard of privacy should authorities seek it, Mr Cook said that there was not. Asked about whether he believes Europe's GDPR privacy law was the answer, he said that he wants regulators to go beyond GDPR standards adopted. Mr Cook repeated Apple’s assertion that it is the "largest taxpayer in the world".

Source: Irish Independent January 20, 2020 16:57 UTC