Tim Cook calls for US federal privacy law to tackle 'weaponized' personal data

• Apple CEO warns of 'data industrial complex'
• Facebook and Google chiefs also voice support for regulation

Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, called on Wednesday for a federal privacy law in the US to protect against voracious internet companies hoarding so much digital data that the businesses know citizens "better than they know themselves" - and then often sell the information on.

Cook warned in a keynote speech that personal data was being "weaponized" against the public and endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the US. The iPhone and Mac computer giant has stood out in its explicit declarations that Apple prefers to protect its customers' personal data.