By Shawn Presley
By now we have all heard about the Brussels Terrorists attacks and the death and capture of the perpetrators involved. However, the tragedy has spurred an indirect controversy that may have a lasting affect on all of us. The FBI wants Apple to bypass the security settings of the suspected terrorists, which although in retrospect seems very reasonable and even acceptable, it does raise implications. For example, it violates the customer-servicer confidentiality agreement and opens Pandora’s box for government to breach such instances without a respect of privacy.
Opponents to the FBI feel that if such a thing happens, there will be further implications where government may feel the NEED to pry into someones private information weather the needs are legitimate or not. This particular notion raises concern on several spectrum and for good reason. The first notion is whom and at what degree will Government deem something as worthy to breach customer-servicer respect of privacy. We all like to believe that if granted such authority, government will act responsibility but without any type of oversight or public accountability, who is to say that that authority may not be abused. Second, if private corporations are subject to release information to the Government at what degree does such an action cease. If the Government can have private information on a citizen to be released from a cell service provider who is to say that will not end there but branch to other sectures such as Health Care or Internet Service Providers.
Without a doubt this situation raises valid and legitimate concerns, but a greater concern is what the Government is asking for. The latest update on the situation states that Apple has indeed agreed to hack into the suspected Terrorists personal cell phone (On the basis of the 13th amendment that abolishes slavery, with the exception if a crime is committed). However, just as some have feared the government is not content, in fact the Government has ordered Apple to create a back door breach applicable to all Apple ID products and services in case something of this magnitude happens in the future; Apple has declined the proposal.