Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, has bragged that the search engine’s security and encryption is superior to its rival Apple’s.
His comments follow Apple chief executive Tim Cook’s recent assertion that free services, such as those Google provides, sacrifice users’ privacy as part of their business model.
Speaking to CNN, Schmidt said: "Our systems are far more secure and encrypted than anyone else, including Apple. They’re catching up, which is great.
"Someone didn’t brief [Cook] correctly on Google’s policies," he added. "It’s unfortunate for him."
Schmidt was responding to a question about an an open letter to customers earlier this month in which Cook said that Apple did not profile users or seek to monetise their information, but instead sought to make money through product sales. "A few years ago, users of Internet services began to realise that when an online service is free, you’re not the customer," he said. "You’re the product."
Both companies were cited this week when Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey said Apple and Google were marketing privacy technology that "expressly to allow people to place themselves above the law".
The recent hacking of Apple’s iCloud prompted the company to update brute force protection on the service and emphasise the need for customer "awareness" about security.
