Eric Shmidt claims Google is far more secure than Apple

Apple, Google and other firms are stepping up security measures to regain public trust following in the wake of news from Edward Snowden that the NSA and other government agencies may have been using backdoors to access data from tech companies. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said that the security in iOS 8 makes it almost impossible for Cupertino to pass information over to the feds, and Google’s new Android L operating system will ship with encryption out-of-the-box. Amid all of the bragging of increased security, Google’s Eric Schmidt has stepped in to suggest that Google has long offered more secure servers than Apple.

Google Executive Chairman Eric Shmidt on Thursday responded to comments made by Apple CEO Tim Cook referring to the Internet search giant’s privacy policies, saying Cook is misinformed and that Google’s systems are “far more secure” than anything Apple has. In an interview with CNN, Schmidt told CNN Money anchor Christine Romans that Google is a leader in data privacy and any contention to that fact, such as a recent missive from Cook, is incorrect. Schmidt is currently on tour advertising his new book “How Google Works” with co-author and Google SVP Jonathan Rosenberg. “Someone didn’t brief him correctly on Google’s policies, that’s unfortunate for him,” Schmidt said of Cook. “In Google’s place, we have always been the leader in security and in encryption. Our systems are far more secure and encrypted than anyone else, including Apple. They’re catching up, which is great.”