For years, I’ve been reading about the silent battle that tech giants have been fighting with the government. In a more recent circumstance, Congress has been trying to top itself in its tech illiteracy by coming up with a bill against net neutrality, which would have given Internet Service Providers the ability to charge media companies to access an exclusive “speed lane” at a more expensive fee.
It absolutely baffles me that some politicians have the tendency to disregard political and moral policies when it comes to the digital world. The very act of imposing these seemingly totalitarian ideas on subject these politicians know nothing about is ridiculous.
This time, the controversy is regarding encryption and privacy—specifically, when it is plausible for a tech company to decrypt a user’s personal device under warrants. The FBI recovered an iPhone 5C that belonged to one of the San Bernadino shooters, however the phone is protected by a passcode. The FBI has been trying to access the iPhone, but failed attempts will result in a longer delay each time and the possibility of wiping all the potentially valuable data. A federal judge has ruled that Apple must create a special iOS firmware that will allow unlimited attempts without a timed punishment, and disable the possibility of wiping data. However, doing so undermines everything that Apple stands for in addition to the extensive progress they have made in creating one of the most popular and secure operating systems.
This is not the first instance that Apple has been public about stressing the importance of their customer’s privacy; in 2014, CEO Tim Cook had already released a public letter stating, “We have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. And we never will.” To understand this premise, it must be realized that this “backdoor” does not exist. If a backdoor is created, then there will always be a way for hackers to get in. Creating the backdoor will set forth unknown repercussions in the future, and Tim Cook is trying to prevent just that. The FBI wants an “unprecedented use of the All Writs Act of 1789,” a vaguely and conveniently written law, to justify this demand. If Apple succumbs to the FBI’s demands, then this will be a major issue for future court cases, because this issue may set a legal precedent.
Those opposed to Apple’s decision believe that it is necessary for the safety of the American people to unlock this device. However, many tech CEOs such as Google CEO Sundar Pichai have chimed in, agreeing with Apple’s decision: “Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’s privacy.”
It is imperative that the government and the tech industry work together, but the insight and opinions of one of the largest tech companies in the world should be respected and compromises should not be made if the privacy of their customers is at stake.
Tag: Terrorism
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Apple’s Privacy Controversy
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Pray For Humanity
In case you have had your head in the sand for the last week, Paris was stricken by a horrific series of terrorist attacks on Friday, November 13. The attacks, claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), took a total of 129 lives, including Cal State Long Beach student Nohemi “Mimi” Gonzalez, who was spending a semester abroad at the Strate College of Design.
Six locations in Paris were targeted by the terrorists, including the Bataclan concert hall where the California rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing, the Stade de France where France and Germany were having a friendly soccer match, and several restaurants where gunmen unloaded round after round upon innocent patrons.
As a response to the attacks, Paris officials raided an apartment Wednesday, November 8, where suspects were believed to be staying, leading to two deaths and eight arrests.
The day after the attacks, ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi sent the western world a terrifying message: “Let France—and those who walk in its path—know that they will remain on the top of the list of targets of the Islamic State.” He has warned that these attacks are “the first in a storm.”
These threats, whether empty or not, are terrifying, and will inevitably lead to an intensification of anti-Arab and anti-Muslim sentiment, as well as an increased international fear of the Syrian refugees.
The sick irony in hiding behind media-influenced fear of Muslims is perfectly explained by Reading Football Club player Dan Holloway, who tweeted, “To people blaming refugees for attacks in Paris tonight: Do you not realise [sic] these are the people the refugees are trying to run away from…?”
People who instinctually generalize the entire Muslim population of the Middle East as Islamic extremists need to take a step back and realize that these ISIS militants are a miniscule minority; only 0.01% of Muslims in Europe have gone to fight with ISIS.
Responses by countries across the globe are admirable, including Barack Obama’s speech stating that the crisis in France was an attack not just on the French people, but on all of humanity.
However, despite the social media outbursts of #PrayForParis and large public awareness of the attacks, it seems that terrorist attacks in third world countries will continue to go unnoticed.
On Thursday, November 12, the day before the Paris attacks, the streets of Beirut, Lebanon, were struck with a double suicide bombing killing 43 and wounding 200 others. It was the worst outbreak of violence since the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990. The country is devastated, not just by the deaths of its people, but also by the rest of the world’s ignorance.
Because Lebanon neighbors Syria, the world tends to ignore its crises, assuming constant chaos in Lebanon merely because of its geographic location.
I am not suggesting that the horrors of Paris are unimportant, or do not deserve sympathy and support. I am proud to see all my friends add the Paris Flag Filter to their Facebook profile photo. I just want us all to realize that the Western World is not the only place affected by terrorism; other countries suffer similar attacks on humanity that are ignored by the majority of the world. Eighty percent of all deaths caused by terrorists take place in only five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Syria.
Tens of thousands of people die this way each year. That is unacceptable; the world has to unite if we wish to fight against the killing of civilians all over the globe.