This week I chose to write my blog post on 7 Reasons a Government Backdoor to the iPhone Would Be Catastrophic by Noa Yachot. I chose this article because I know this issue is gaining a lot of attention, and as an iPhone user, I’m curious as to what the current opinions are and how it will be implemented in the future. Although it may seem like a stretch, I think that as police brutality becomes a bigger issue and the desire for transparency with current events surrounding it grows, people may want to know more of the motives and personal issues surrounding gun violence and motives behind incidents.
The article states that there are seven reasons that the government having access to iPhone data would be ‘catastrophic’. Some of the items mentioned in the article are that it poses a threat from foreign affairs and does not allow for us to have our own privacy in the same way. Although I see that there are good reasons for this, I agree with the article. I think ultimately it does not align with our current government system and values, and takes away from the privacy and rights of American citizens.
To support this argument, I read an article titled Should the Authorities Be Able to Access Your iPhone?. According to the article, President Obama and the rest of the country do not think that the government should have access to our data from the cell phone companies. The Justice Department argues that it was long ago established (1789) that courts have rights to your private data. Apple and the Justice Department have been back and forth about this issue.
Apple states “Apple has never created a backdoor or master key to any of our products or services. We have also never allowed any government direct access to Apple servers. And we never will.” They also say that they make sure that the data access always follows current rules and laws. They are working to make it safer for law enforcement to protect the public by allowing them to have access to certain data.
Many people believe that the government should have access to our data. For example, Tam Harbert with govtech.com says that the government is already involved in the Internet of Things (IoT). He says there are practical uses for it, such as detecting floods and alerting the necessary people. It knows peoples’ locations based on their cellphones and can send alerts. Another practical use is Los Angeles is trying to find a way to use cellphone data to detect earthquakes and alert those who could be affected.
In conclusion, this is a very controversial topic, but one that I find extremely interesting because it is somewhat new territory. There are benefits of people having access to our data, but many risks and threats. The more that we allow technology into our lives to help us with our day-to-day lives, the more relevant this topic will become. I’m curious about the different opinions that will arise in the coming years.
References
Apple. (n.d.). Privacy – Government Information Requests. Apple. https://www.apple.com/privacy/government-information-requests/
Harbert, T. (2017, January 3). Practical Uses of the Internet of Things in Government Are Everywhere. GovTech. https://www.govtech.com/network/practical-uses-of-the-internet-of-things-in-government-are-everywhere.html
Yachot, N. (2016, February 25). 7 Reasons a Government Backdoor to the iPhone Would Be Catastrophic. American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.aclu.org/blog/privacy-technology/internet-privacy/7-reasons-government-backdoor-iphone-would-be-catastrophic
Mikayla Flynn 