Apple CEO Tim Cook gave remarks before President Barack Obama’s speech today at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection. He focused on Apple’s role in ensuring consumer protection, and on trust associated with user information and data.

“Our hardware and software use encryption,” he said.  “We have a security and operations team monitoring our infrastructure 24/7.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the audience at the White House Summit on Cybersecurity and Consumer Protection (KEVIN HSU/The Stanford Daily)

One point that Cook emphasized was the different view Apple takes with regards to data and users, attmempting to make a clear distinction between Apple and other technology companies.

“We have a model focused on selling products, not on selling your personal data,” he underlined. “When we ask you for data, it’s to provide you with better services, and you have a choice on how much information you share.”

He added that Apple set the industry’s highest standards and spoke about Apple Pay, discussing the importance of security and its integral role in the product’s development.

“Security was part of the reason we developed the technology for [Apple Pay],” he said. “It starts with the premise that your credit card purchases are personal to you, and they should stay that way. With Apple Pay, your credit card numbers are not stored on the device or the phone. Instead, for every payment, we create a unique one-time code for that individual transactions. They remain private between you, your merchant and the bank.”

He announced that starting September of this year , Apple Pay will be available for transactions with the federal government.

“[We are] working on initiatives to use this technology with [government] benefit programs,” he added.

“We can imagine a day in the not so distant future where your wallet becomes a remnant of the past, and your passport, driver’s license and other important docs can be digitally stored in a way that is safe, secure and easy to access.”

Cook closed by underlining the importance of collaboration and information sharing between government and the private sector.

“We’re commited to engaging productively with the White House and Congress and putting this into action. It’s important to realize we are all talking about the same people. Too many people do not feel free to practice their religion or express their opinion or love who they choose. A world in which that information can make the difference between life and death.”