Isaac Warren
Print Editor
SPRINGFIELD – Apple and Google have actually agreed on something this past week. The FBI has demanded that Apple create a new product for the iPhone that acts as a “back door” for prosecutors. The tech company wrote a letter to their website, stating that they refuse to obey the judge’s order. Google came out soon after the letter went public, supporting Apple in their stance on the issue.
The background to this story takes place following the tragic San Bernardino shootings. The gunman was found to have ties to a radical Islamic terrorist organization. The FBI took his phone as evidence, citing there may be data on it that could contain information about others who were involved. The only gap separating prosecutors from the data is Apple’s encryption software. The iPhone’s operating system, iOS, contains a security feature that prevents people, even Apple, from stealing data. The password has a counter that counts how many times an incorrect password is typed. If the password is guessed wrong too many times, the phone will wipe all the data permanently. The FBI wants Apple to create a new version of iOS that has a backdoor, or another way for people to get into the phone if they need to.
Apple has claimed that if they create this software, hackers could exploit it and steal anyone’s data if they got a hold of their phone. Because of the issues it could cause, according to Apple, the company wrote a letter to its customers that explained the situation, and defended their stance on this issue.
The last section of the letter captures Apple CEO Tim Cook’s feelings on the matter.
“Rather than asking for legislative action through Congress, the FBI is proposing an unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789 to justify an expansion of its authority.
The government would have us remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system, allowing a passcode to be input electronically. This would make it easier to unlock an iPhone by “brute force,” trying thousands or millions of combinations with the speed of a modern computer.
The implications of the government’s demands are chilling. If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone’s device to capture their data. The government could extend this breach of privacy and demand that Apple build surveillance software to intercept your messages, access your health records or financial data, track your location, or even access your phone’s microphone or camera without your knowledge.
Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.
We are challenging the FBI’s demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.
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.”
-Tim Cook
Isaac can be reached at [email protected]