What did you find most interesting about the discussion surrounding the case of Apple being asked to create a back door to get data from a terrorist’s phone.

After Apple released its public statement on whether or not it planned to comply with the FBI’s request to build a backdoor into the iPhone, the discussion of consumer privacy and consumer rights was once more thrown into the forefront of mass media coverage. In class, it seems like all of my peers side with Apple in their decision not to comply and to protect the privacy of its users but, I am skeptical by nature.

While I am entirely for privacy and firmly believe that the mentality of “if you’ve got nothing to hide, then you shouldn’t worry about privacy” is a gross violation of basic human rights – I am, again, skeptical. The FBI shouldn’t need any assistance from Apple to get into the single most popular smart phone in America; with all of the resources of the American government behind them, the FBI should not, at all, need help with the phone. Ergo, I don’t understand why they felt the need to go public with it and incite a media storm with Apple.

However, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt – let’s assume the FBI sincerely needs Apple’s help (or Apple’s legal permission) to break the encryption on the phone. If this is actually the case, I too applaud the stance that Apple has taken. We cannot build a backdoor into every iPhone in America for the convenience of vigilante justice on the everyday consumer – it’s borderline NSA-caliber invasion of privacy and simply unnecessary at best.

Ultimately, the entire situation is muddy and it’s difficult to trust the word of either side to be truthful as they both seem to be treating this more as a PR stunt than anything else. Who knows?