Apple chief calls for laws to tackle 'shadow economy' of data firms

Tim Cook seeks competitive advantage over Google and Facebook with privacy push

Apple's chief executive has called for regulation to tackle the "shadow economy" of data brokers - intermediaries who trade in the personal information of largely unsuspecting consumers - as the company continues its push to be seen as supportive of privacy.

Tim Cook, in an op-ed for Time Magazine published on Thursday, said: "One of the biggest challenges in protecting privacy is that many of the violations are invisible. For example, you might have bought a product from an online retailer - something most of us have done.