What is the Apple/F.B.I. dispute all about?

Art+credits+to+Erika+Woo%21

Art credits to Erika Woo!

Saamia Khan ’18

In a day and age in which the right to privacy already stands as a widely disputed issue, Apple recently decided to challenge an F.B.I. federal court order. The order would have forced the company to unlock the iPhone of the one of the alleged terrorists in the San Bernardino attacks, sparking a nationwide debate on civil liberties. Many expect the issue to reach the Supreme Court.

Whose iPhone is this?

The iPhone in question belonged to Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the San Bernardino attacks in December 2015. The attacker killed 14 and left another 22 severely injured.

Why does the F.B.I. want to unlock the iPhone?

The F.B.I. thinks that retrieving additional data from the iPhone will allow the agency to further understand the motives of the two terrorists. As part of the ongoing investigation, the F.B.I. hopes to obtain more information about the lives of the two suspects, and whether or not they had contact with the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

Why can’t the F.B.I. unlock the iPhone without Apple’s help?

Apple created a standard security feature for all iPhones that erases all data whatsoever after ten failed passcode attempts. Since Apple designed the iPhone to only run software created by its own company, the F.B.I. would be unable to devise software to access information on the phone.

What is the F.B.I. asking Apple to do, exactly?

The bureau wants Apple to create software that would disable the standard security feature, so that the F.B.I. could try a multiplicity of passwords without removing any data (known as “brute” force). Apple knows, as acknowledged in its customer letter, that this operation is possible. However, for Apple, it is more about ethics than implementation.

Why is Apple making such a big deal of this?

Although the F.B.I. claims that it would only use Apple’s software in this particular instance, Apple believes compliance with the F.B.I’s wishes would threaten the privacy of customers in the future. In his open letter, C.E.O. of Apple, Tim Cook explains, “The order would set a legal precedent that would expand the powers of the government and we simply don’t know where that would lead us.” Mina Milinkovic ’18 also added that “Apple is concerned about the precedent being set, which could broadly violate the privacy and liberties of all its customers.”

What’s next?

The case will likely end up in the Supreme Court, where a highly anticipated and possibly life-changing decision will be made on the subject of individual privacy.

What do other people think of this?

The C.E.O.s of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google all pledged to support Apple’s motion against the Federal District Court. At the same time, the opinions of average Americans widely differ. According to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, 51% of Americans believe that Apple should unlock the iPhone, while only 37% accept the converse.[2]

Here at school, Noah Smith ’17 sides with Apple, stating, “I am glad that people are starting to push back against the invasions of privacy the government has gotten away with recently.”

[2] http://www.people-press.org/2016/02/22/more-support-for-justice-department-than-for-apple-in-dispute-over-unlocking-iphone/