We all knew it would come down to this soon or later. The second Apple started selling their spy-proof smart phones, it was only a matter of time before those responsible for national security would be demanding emergency access. And quite frankly, this is the fight we've been waiting for. When Tim Cook received an order from a California Magistrate to hack an IPhone in the interest of national security, Apple's CEO decided to fight the order in the interest of the right to privacy. Besides, according to Apple, their phones aren't hackable.
Apple's default encryption, first implemented with iOS 8, insures that a third party can't access your files. Not even Apple after the password is set. Those files are protected by an encryption key tied to that password. According to Cook, “For many years, we have used encryption to protect our customers’ personal data because we believe it’s the only way to keep their information safe,”... “We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business.” Hell, who's gonna argue with that?
In fact, Apple's encryption is so tight, even the biggest eggheads at the FBI's lab in Quantico Virginia, were left scratching their noggins. Without software designed to defeat a self destruct-mechanism automatically erasing everything after ten failed tries being supplied by Apple, the "authorities were stumped". And that's the problem, Apple says. No such software exists and they have no plans to develop one. Sometimes it's comforting to know the smart people are on our side.
Still, there's that nagging argument lingering over what to do if the "authorities" claim to have actionable intelligence of an imminent terror attack and cracking an iPhone could save the day. What to do if a child's life is at stake and if information can be recovered from an iPhone, that precious little one could be spared a fate worse than death? What if a major drug cartel could be broken up if the "authorities" could hack through an iPhone's security? The "authorities" can come up with a million reasons they should be able to breach one's privacy.
On the other hand, there's just as many reasons the public wouldn't want the "authorities" to have access to its private data. Just because people have secrets, doesn't mean they're doing anything illegal. Embarrassing perhaps, but not illegal. What about people engaging in adulterous affairs? What about people saving photos of themselves doing things they shouldn't be doing, in places they shouldn't have been? What about old married couples Sexting back and forth without deleting the evidence. And that's just the scandalous stuff.
What about medical, tax and banking records? There could be a million reasons why some wouldn't want others knowing how much money they've got and where they're keeping it. What if the "authorities" passed that information on to the IRS before you had a chance to explain. No matter how you cut it, most people these days need a place where they can store their secrets and feel confident those secrets will remain secret. Once the authorities have access, it won't be a minute before others do too.
The stand Apple is taking has serious profit implications, also. Lately, smart phone technology has become so competitive, the edge of having the only phone on the market the "authorities" can't compromise can be a real game changer. And despite the fact every creep and criminal will want one, if Apple markets itself as the last line of defense against unwarranted government intrusion, the public will eat that up.
Bottom line: Since Edward Snowden exposed the nation's true intelligence gathering capabilities and how far government officials went to keep those secrets secret, some people are willing to accept the risk of something terrible happening, rather than allowing themselves to be intruded upon. Some people simply don't scare that easily anymore. Podcast below!
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