My Email to Tim Cook

It's once again time for Apple's CEO to deliver action as lofty as his language

I sent this to Apple CEO Tim Cook today. I’ve tried to remain calm and measured in terms of language, but if I’m honest, Apple’s action in removing ICEBlock from the App Store has left me angry. We are in a very dark place right now in our country, and we need leaders who act with courage based on principle.

Tim:

I’m writing to you today because I’m deeply disturbed by recent actions I’ve seen Apple take, in particular the recent removal of the ICEBlock app from the App Store.

I used to believe that Apple were unequivocally ‘the good guys.’ I passionately advocated for people to understand Apple as being on the side of its users above all else. I now feel like I must question that.

I am more than a die-hard Apple enthusiast. I worked at Apple for a total of over 22 years as a manager and executive in Product Marketing. During that time I deeply admired the principled stands that you took on issues that mattered. I appreciated that you articulated principles for Apple that represented the highest ideals of human aspiration and endeavor around values like human rights and the stewardship of our planet. I also was privileged to be able to retire in 2022 due in part to the financial windfalls resulting from your skillful and prudent leadership of Apple.

I worked on many different products and areas during my time at Apple, but one of the things I worked on longest was security and privacy. I recall that even as Apple did some of the best work in the industry in securing customer devices and minimizing and protecting against data collection, there was deep skepticism among security and privacy advocates concerning Apple.

The event that represented a turning point for that skeptical view of Apple was the stand against the FBI over the San Bernardino case. You took a risky stand that was in keeping with the principles you had articulated for the company. The result was bigger than the one case: that act of lawful, principled defiance of government intimidation and jawboning helped to convince people that Apple’s actions and stated ideals were in alignment; that the company was walking the walk as well as talking the talk. The company’s actions and articulated values since then have continued to make me feel proud to be a former Apple employee and current shareholder. The fact that ICEBlock was built on iOS and not Android is an example of how much trust people who care about security and privacy have been willing to put in Apple.

That said, there is a symmetry to how the larger world equates values and actions; just as one stand against an invasive and unlawful request could help people see that Apple was genuinely committed to security and privacy, the removal of the ICEBlock app represents an act that squanders that same good faith.

Apple’s words about its respect for human rights and freedom are inspiring. From the May 2025 Apple document, “Our Commitment to Human Rights”:

Hand in hand with the privacy of our users is our commitment to freedom of information and expression. Our products help our customers communicate, learn, express their creativity, and exercise their ingenuity. We believe in the critical importance of an open society in which information flows freely, and we’re convinced the best way we can continue to promote openness is to remain engaged, even where we may disagree with a country’s laws.

The removal of ICEBlock without evidence of the government either providing a lawful basis for such a demand or following a legal process to effect its removal represents an erosion of this principled stance. Acceding to a government ‘demand’ without demanding that the government follow legal process in order to back up its request (or at least shedding light on how the government did follow such process) raises the question of how easily Apple will accede to other requests. Will Apple lower its general standards for law enforcement requests from those outlined at https://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/law-enforcement-guidelines-us.pdf? Will Apple give data on the identities of users who downloaded the ICEBlock app to the government? Will Apple block podcasts that advocate points of view opposed to the current US administration? I imagine and hope that these are ridiculous questions, but without a clearer demonstration of Apple’s principled commitment to lawful action and due process, I feel uncertain.

I don’t know where this leaves me as an Apple customer, but I do know that it upsets me as an Apple shareholder. I am asking you and your team to more clearly explain the basis on which you made the decision to remove ICEBlock—and how the government showed good faith and strong evidence in making its demand of Apple, or that you reinstate the app in the App Store.

I hope that as a man of integrity and principle you can understand how outrageous this situation is. Even more, I hope you recognize how every inch you voluntarily give to an authoritarian regime adds to their illegitimately derived power. We are at a critical juncture in our country’s history where we face the imminent threat of the loss of our constitutional republic. It is up to all of us to demand that the rule of law rather than the whims of a handful of people—even elected ones—govern our collective enterprise. Apple and you are better than this. You represent the best of what America can be, and I pray that you will find it in your heart to continue to demonstrate that you are true to the values you have so long and so admirably espoused.

Respectfully,

Wiley Hodges