Between the 0s and 1s – the very fabric of computer processor instructions – we’ve reached an impasse. The Federal Bureau of In- vestigation, the transgressor of a new controver- sial battle against electronics giant Apple, isn’t letting up.
It started with a simple demand from U.S. Magistrate judge Sheri Pym on Feb. 16 asking Apple to unlock the iPhone of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the two perpetrators behind the San Bernardino mass shooting last December. In response to this, Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a letter on Apple’s official website, stating that, “we oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.”
The purpose of this order is for Apple to help the FBI gain access to the potential secrets within that can be divulged on Farook’s iPhone 5c. But at the heart of the controversy lies a subject that may as well concern the entire American popu- lace: encryption and rights to privacy.
In a battle of what is now known as “Apple vs the FBI,” we’ve seen Apple take a surprising stance; they’re refusing to let the FBI gain “back door” access to the iPhone. Cook’s previous statement on Apple.com exhibited his stance on the issue, but he had also stated that the action
would be “a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties,” essentially denouncing the federal judge’s order to unlock the iPhone.
Despite this, soon after the shooting, Apple had provided information to the FBI with data from Farook’s work phone that had a good chunk of data on it. However, from Oct. 19 to the day of the shooting, Farook did not save infor- mation onto the iCloud, leaving seven weeks of potential and critical data that is currently locked behind the iOS encryption.
According to CNET.com, “to hack the iPhone, the FBI wants Apple to build a new ver- sion of iOS software that Cook claims bypasses the the iPhone’s security features.” To elaborate on this further, such a move would allow the FBI to gain “back door” access to all of Apple’s en- crypted devices.
This would infringe on citizens right to pri- vacy, as a government organization independent from Apple would be able to see and own all of the information you possess on your phone. Ap- ple believes that giving the FBI that sort of power would result in disastrous consequences regard- ing the future of privacy on Apple devices. Pretty frightening, isn’t it?
For the FBI, such a move would be justified in order to pursue further leads.
According to FBI Director James Comey, “we simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try and guess the terrorist’s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That’s it.”
