Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Apple, The FBI And iPhone Encryption: A Look At What's At Stake
Last December, Syed Farook and Tashfeen Malik attacked the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif., where they later lost their lives in a police shootout. During their investigation the FBI recovered a iPhone 5c used by Syed Farook. This iteration of iPhone has multiple security features, including an encryption of all outgoing data making the phone "uncrackable" unless you have it physically and you have the security PIN. This pin is also protected by "an auto-erase function that deletes a phone's content after 10 incorrect passcode entries, a mandatory delay between entering passcodes after a certain number of failed attempts, and the requirement that passcodes be entered manually instead of being quickly plugged in by a computer." This prohibits the FBI from cracking what would be a 30 minutes worth of computer guess and check. Because of this the FBI requested and then court ordered Apple to create a program to enter the iPhone and disable these security features so the iPhone can be opened and the data kept on it. Apple greatly resisted this, citing a fundamental right to personal privacy. We have studied in class the uneasy relationship between national security and personal freedom. How do you think Apple should act? Are they right or do they need to create this program that could be used on every iPhone the FBI needs to get into?
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I think Apple should try to be more cooperative with the federal government. I understand the company's argument and why they're resisting, but national security is more important than personal privacy. Apple was ordered by a federal judge to cooperate, so the government must believe the information on the phone is important. If it's recovered, lives could potentially be saved. And, even though the FBI could hypothetically access every iPhone with the "backdoor" it wants Apple to create, I think maintaining national security should still be the priority.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Apple should create a "backdoor" for the government. If they made it possible to circumvent the security measures iPhones would become much more prone to hackers, ultimately making a technology that millions of people use less safe.
ReplyDeleteI do not think Apple should not make a backdoor. If Apple was to do so, it would compromise the safety of everyone who owns an apple product. This would be a huge invitation to hackers.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the creation of such a software is dangerous. While the government has good intentions of using this to access the phones of criminals, once something is created, it eventually reaches the general public. The creation of this software as stated above "would be a huge invitation to hackers." If this software were to be applied to all iPhones I would be more concerned with my susceptibility to hackers rather than government access.
ReplyDeleteAs this is a matter of security, I think Apple should cooperate with the government and make the software necessary to break into the phone. I think the severity of terrorism trumps privacy laws in this case.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this is not something we should take lightly, as its implications are broad. There is a risk that the software could fall into the wrong hands or be misused to violate our privacy. We can't know the full extent of consequences that would follow the creation of such software.
Apple should create this program, but they should take precautions when making it. The program is a two-edged blade as it is helpful when the government needs to collect data, but it does breaches personal privacy. This program would also be very dangerous in criminal hands. Apple should create the program, but they should be very careful about who receives it.
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