The Patriot Post® · Apple, the FBI and Terrorism
A federal judge has ordered tech giant Apple to help unlock the iPhone that belonged to San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook. “Despite … a warrant authorizing the search,” said prosecutors, “the government has been unable to complete the search because it cannot access the iPhone’s encrypted content. Apple has the exclusive technical means which would assist the government in completing its search, but has declined to provide that assistance voluntarily.” Indeed, Apple declined for good reason, and the company even issued a public letter expressing its opposition to a specific request that was a bridge too far, despite having already “worked hard to support the government’s efforts to solve this crime.”
One of the major security initiatives of iOS 8 and iOS 9 (and several other recent operating systems like Windows 10) is to ensure that an OS update can’t be forcibly installed that would allow the system to be “rooted.” The FBI isn’t just asking Apple to do this one thing for this one phone this one time. They are effectively asking Apple to undo some of its most important security efforts over the last several years. Moreover, it’s possible that what the FBI is really trying to do is establish a precedent that, again, stretches the boundaries of privacy and security. So along with the NSA’s surveillance program and other counterterrorism measures, is this security opening worth it in the name of fighting terrorism?
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-OK) certainly thinks so: “Apple chose to protect a dead ISIS terrorist’s privacy over the security of the American people. The Executive and Legislative Branches have been working with the private sector with the hope of resolving the ‘Going Dark’ problem. Regrettably, the position Tim Cook and Apple have taken shows that they are unwilling to compromise and that legislation is likely the only way to resolve this issue. The problem of end-to-end encryption isn’t just a terrorism issue. It is also a drug-trafficking, kidnapping, and child pornography issue that impacts every state of the Union. It’s unfortunate that the great company Apple is becoming the company of choice for terrorists, drug dealers, and sexual predators of all sorts.”
Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI), however, disagrees, tweeting, “Govt’s demand that Apple undermine safety & privacy of all its customers is unconscionable & unconstitutional. … Govt is not simply asking Apple to provide info; it is demanding Apple create a whole new product that threatens security of all customers.”