Apple VS FBI – Why it matters to us – Grasp 16′
Apple VS FBI – Why it matters to us – Grasp 16′
Prior warning, this one gets a bit heavy but stay with us on this!
December 2nd 2015, San Bernardino in the south of California, 14 people were killed and 22 seriously injured in a mass shooting/attempted bombing at a public health training event by Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, a married couple living associated with sed health department who were shot and killed by police hours after fleeing the scene of the attack. The attack was cited as terrorist in nature shortly thereafter by US officials including the president himself.
Why this concerns us not just in a humanitarian sense but also a technological sense is the aftermath. The US Government as well as the FBI have pursued Apple through warrants and various acts to have Apple unlock the device (iPhone 5C) belonging to the attackers in order to collect intelligence on the attack. Not only this but the FBI requested Apple release an updates IOS that would allow for a back end scrutinizing element to be accessible through the devices RAM. Apple refused on grounds that it would never undermine its own security on its devices, this being one of its core selling points. The FBI opted not to order a subpoena but rather enact the “All Writs act of 1789”. Apple were given until the 26th February 2016 to respond. The US government in addition began leaning heavily upon the federal judge to force Apple’s hand in the matter. Apple have since been working with the FBI to create agreeable and isolated means in which the FBI could use malware to access the phone’s back end with Apple then able to delete the malware shortly after.
It is both a testament to Apple’s security as well as its company ethos that they have stood up to the immense pressure of the US governments demands. It also brings with it huge implications for our own technology. The US government (based on strong albeit unfounded evidence) have proven that they are able to quietly and surreptitiously hack nuclear centrifuges half way around the world using consumer devices as a conduit. The thought that some 500 million iPhones are vulnerable to similar back end manipulation is a worry. Taking a wider view of the matter also highlights how as technology advances and an “internet of things” becomes ever the reality that repeating question of how far privacy can and should be protected comes under scrutiny once more. Should governments be given free reign to exercise national security at all costs, or do governments need to know there is resistance and limits given they have abused their remit time and time again in the past.
What starts as an isolated matter can quickly become all encompassing. How do we feel about this?
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