Meant to unite industry brass with top U.S. law enforcement officials, the White House cybersecurity summit on the campus of Stanford University has attracted only one major Silicon Valley CEO: Apple’s Tim Cook, who is slated to address the gathering shortly before Obama speaks on Friday morning.
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Chief executives at other firms, like Google and Facebook, were invited but sent top network security personnel instead.
People familiar with the companies’ decision-making were split on the reason why. One said top bosses were sitting out amid persistent concern over government surveillance, almost two years since the Edward Snowden leaks. Others downplayed the absence, suggesting the summit was intended more for retail firms, banks and insurers — all of which were hacked recently.
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The tech giant also came under fire from the other end of the privacy spectrum when the FBI blasted its encryption policy on new iPhones and iPads. The law enforcement agency said the encryption measures — preventing the search of communications, even with a subpoena — could allow terrorists to plot attacks.
Obama, however, has so far avoided addressing the issue, and the White House didn’t respond on Thursday when asked if he would address the topic with Cook on Friday.
After his Friday speech, the President will raise money for Democrats in San Francisco and fly to Palm Springs — his favorite desert oasis — for the remainder of the holiday weekend.
