tatef 12:41 am on February 21, 2016

The FBI and the courts asking apple to…

The FBI and the courts asking apple to create new software to hack in to a phone is interesting http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/18/technology/explaining-apples-fight-with-the-fbi.html. This brings up a lot of questions: Can the government make a company do what ever the government wants despite its stated policies if they haven’t done anything illegal? Will they be compensated for the amount of time and effort this has already cost a company worth billions? Would this hurt Apples brand worldwide or domestically?
But what it really made me think about was that the iphone is made in China. China is far more authoritarian than the US and there probably wouldn’t be public trials and appeals if this happened over there. Also if the NSA can intercept computer parts to install spyware on them in the US (http://www.cnet.com/news/nsa-reportedly-installing-spyware-on-us-made-hardware/), what makes Apple users so sure the Chinese government isn’t doing the same thing?

Sam Tran 2:42 pm on February 21, 2016

I guess I don’t see what the big deal is. The FBI is trying to investigate a TERRORIST, and I think that apple should comply with this investigation. I personally could care less if the government has access to my personal phone records. The way I see it is, if they are using this information to keep us safe I say go for it. I personally am not an important enough person for the U.S. government to take interest in. Will it hurt apple financially? Probably, but if this could potentially give us more information about terrorist operations within the U.S., its money well spent.
- Eli Zumberg 6:07 pm on February 21, 2016
  
  I think you reached the general problem with it though, because the big problem of our generation is where to put the line in safety vs. privacy. Also, you should not forget a lot of citizens would disagree with you on the matter.
- tatef 8:19 pm on February 26, 2016
  
  Privacy is a big deal for me personally, although my personal data would be clean…and very boring. But the problem is history. Look at J Edgar Hoover, head of the fbi, who used the information he could gather using precomputer info to blackmail, coerce and sabotage all kinds of people, including MLK jr. Even if I trust the current government (kinda) do I trust that the government remains trustworthy? Democrat or Republican I hope this election makes you question that. Its also that it isn’t something Apple has that the government wants. Its making people work for the government for free. What other businesses are they going to want something from? I dont like Apple much and dont have any of their products but I respect the stand they are taking. I don’t own a gun, or ever plan to, but I support the second amendment (not to the extreme point that some do), I don’t have anything to say the government would care about but I still want a right to free speech.
  The second half is also concerning. Even if you trust the US government and your own information, do you trust the info of everyone in the US and the government of China? Phone records and internet usage could compromise many people, especially those in government. The role of national security in the computer age and globalized business infrastructure is murky and needs to get figured out sooner that later.

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The FBI and the courts asking apple to…