iPhone privacy — who’s right?

After the tragic accident that occurred in San Bernardino, officers are faced with the challenges of bringing justice to the community. Even though officers are doing everything they can to solve the crime, important information might be stored in an iPhone that belonged to the shooter.

The iPhone is locked with one of the companies encryptions, and the FBI is asking for Apple to help them create a way decrypt the communications. They have been asking companies for quite sometime now to give law enforcement a back door into the secure devices in order to make it easier for law officers to do their job. So now, Apple is faced with a challenging situation which involves giving the FBI a way to unlock iPhones and privileges that go against the Apple user agreement. The FBI claims that they can give this power to law enforcement without compromising the user’s security.

This decision has and is still being discussed over the internet and news channels. It seems to be a split decision between the people, many siding with Apple and the others siding with the FBI. I have mixed feelings on who to side with. Yes, I do hope for justice and answers to the this awful doing, however, on the other hand, we would just be giving more power to an already controlling government. So with that said, I would encourage Apple to stand its ground and not let the government push them into doing something that would allow the FBI to go against the Apple users agreement.

This action is bigger than you think. If a big company such as Apple gives way to the government, it would be sending a message to other big companies if the government needs your help, you will help. It would also be giving Apple users’ privacy away to the FBI, so I could imagine people not taking that so lightly.

Even though users should not be doing anything illegal or suspicious on their Apple products, I bet they would feel like they are being watched or just uncomfortable. I would imagine that this is having a big impact on Apple device sales. Also, other companies could use this situation for their benefit of customers and eventually create a program that would prevent the government from hacking your product. So I believe that the FBI is in a situation that they can not win; they might even be waking up a sleeping giant, where people are going to protest government intervention in their privacy.

Sooner or later, the people will be tired of being spied on and when that day comes, we will ask back for our privacy and commit to not allowing the U.S. government to do whatever they seem as right. It might not get so dramatic, but I do believe this is a big deal. It might pave the way for the government to try to do this to all U.S. companies, maybe even without so much of a fight. Apple might just be the trial run for now, but only the future holds the answer.