Europe's data protection rules provide a good example for the rest of the world, but aren't the final word in industry standards, Apple boss Tim Cook said Sunday during a visit to Berlin.
"I'm a big fan of the GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation]," he said, but added "it's not all that needs to be done.
"We would like to see not only the US, but many other countries in the world follow Europe's lead here and take it even further."
The GDPR standards aim to strengthen citizens' control of their personal data. This includes a "right to be forgotten" under which organizations must delete any personal data once it is no longer needed for its original purpose. It also gives consumers the right to ask how their data has been used.
The introduction earlier this year forced entities with online presences to add reminders to visitors that their information is sometimes gathered. Some groups opted to stop having operations in EU countries.
"I don't know how long it will take and what will happen in the process," said Cook. "The people are shocked at some of the things that are happening."
Cook said it was particularly inspiring to be in Germany because of that country's strong respect for privacy, partly because Germany saw two governments in the last century - the Nazis and the eastern German communists - that so regularly gathered up data on their own citizens in an attempt to control them.
During his visit, Cook got to see presentations on an app called MauAR, a play on the German word 'Mauer,' or wall. Designed by Peter Kolski, it allows people to use augmented reality (AR) on their phones so they can see where the Berlin Wall once stood. It is set for release on November 9, the 29th anniversary of the wall's fall.
A second app presented for Cook also uses augmented reality to let users view a trainer with their phone to get a better idea of how to do yoga exercises properly. Robin Pratap, co-founder of the company behind the app, Asana Rebel, discussed strategies with Cook about taking the firm global.