You would need to have been living under a particularly large rock over the last 24 hours if you somehow managed to miss out on the news that the FBI was pressuring Apple to help it get into the iPhone of one of the perpetrators of the 2015 San Bernardino shooting. We’re just going to assume you know the ins and outs of that particular debacle, but if not you might want to go and check that out.
Never far from wading into just about anything, a leading Republican candidate for the 2016 U.S. presidential elections has had his say on the fact that Apple is refusing to comply with the FBI’s wishes, with the accused’s iPhone 5c apparently still waiting for Apple to give the FBI the access they requested. Predictably, Trump doesn’t agree with Apple’s decision to defy the courts by refusing to open the iPhone up for the FBI’s perusal.
Speaking on morning news show Fox and Friends, Trump said that he agreed 100% with the courts, and that Apple should indeed do as it is told.
I agree 100 percent with the courts. In that case, we should open it up. I think security, overall, we have to open it up and we have to use our heads. We have to use common sense, Trump continued, echoing his recent common refrain. Somebody the other day called me a common-sense conservative. We have to use common sense. Who do they think they are? They have to open it up.
Apple, for its part, has published an open letter on its website in which it explains its decision. Undoubtedly more coherent than anything we have seen Trump come up with of late, Apple’s statement hinges on the fact that the company believes opening this particular iPhone for assessment would set a dangerous precedent.
While we believe the FBI’s intentions are good, it would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products. And ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.
It’s unclear where this story will go from here, with Apple and CEO Tim Cook digging in their heels while the FBI and courts circle. We don’t yet know how far Apple is willing to go with this, and although the Electronic Frontier Foundation has thrown its weight behind the iPhone maker, we do wonder how long it will be able to hold out.
What do you guys think? Should Apple comply with the government’s, court’s and FBI’s request to allow backdoor access to iPhones? Or should they stick to their stance of protecting their customers privacy? Take our poll and let us know.
(Via: Politico)
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