Apple vs. The FBI. Time to Choose.....
Last December, terrorist Sayed Farook and his wife murdered 14 innocent people in San Bernadino CA. Their iPhone 5c was probably used in planning and other communication. Their other phones
had been destroyed.
The FBI would like to get into that iPhone, but it's locked. The FBI has asked Apple to help. Apple refused. They say it would set a dangerous precedent, and potentially compromise the privacy of iPhone users.
That's the situation in a nutshell. Civil liberties vs. national security. Corporate protection vs. protecting society. I'm afraid it's time to pick a side, people. How much of your privacy are you willing to surrender to live securely in today's world.
To be clear, the FBI just wants help to get into this one particular iPhone 5c. It's password protected. If you guess wrong 10 times, the memory is automatically wiped. Ironically, had it been a newer model with fingerprint ID, there would be no problem. You could just use their dead fingerprint. It would be very valuable to determine who the terrorists had been communicating with. What sites they had visited on the web. Lives could still be at stake.
Apple believes creating a back door key to the iPhone would be very dangerous. They believe that even if securely held, eventually that information would get out. They're right. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. They also think the privacy of iPhone users would be at risk. They're right. Does the government snoop on private citizens? You bet your ass they do. Ask Edward Snowden.
Giving up Constitutional rights is a slippery slope to start down. Once you start, sometimes it's hard to stop. People have fought and died to protect those rights. It's not something I consider lightly.
But in the end I think this: if you're not doing anything illegal, what have you got to hide? The FBI can look at my phone all they want. Good luck with that. I don't have anything incriminating or embarrassing on there. I wish I did. Maybe I'd be leading a more exciting life. You there - having that affair! Delete that thread. You there - with those embarrassing pictures that should have been deleted long ago! Don't worry. Somebody else has a copy and is waiting for you to piss them off to use them against you.
Now I want to talk to iPhone users. You own a great phone. It's beautiful. Maybe the best there is. I know you love it. But I'm asking you to dump it. Switch at least until Apple cooperates with the government. Boycott Apple. I understand I have the minority view here. But in my heart, this is how I feel.
In the interest of being transparent here, I am not an iPhone user. Never have been. For some reason, whenever something is wildly popular, I look for an alternative. Don't know why. That's just me. Got no Facebook page either. Back in the day, I wasn't wild about the Beatles for the same reason. Maybe I'm weird.
Apple is a corporation that has survived, and flourished under the very blanket of protection that our nation offers. Would Apple be damaged by cooperating with the FBI? Probably yes. Shareholders could be damaged too. Could personal security be comprised? Quite possibly. But Budweiser was damaged during Prohibition. Automakers were damaged during World War II. They all survived and grew stronger.
Were Japanese Americans rights violated during WWII? Unquestionably. Wrong or right, it was wartime. It's easy to look back and criticize with the perspective of the 21st century.
I don't think Apple has any alternative but to help. The alternative could be disastrous. News coverage of the next school bombed by a terrorist group could be sponsored by Apple. (At least on SNL.) "The iPhone - the phone recommended by today's successful terrorist." Kids taken to ambulances covered by blankets with the Apple logo.
This is wartime. Make no mistake. Our country is fighting a faceless 21st century enemy. It's not a traditional enemy. They might be living on your street planning the next attack. IPhone users, your country needs your help. If you agree with me, make your voice heard. Change your phone. Or at least contact Apple and ask them to find a way to help.
Last December, terrorist Sayed Farook and his wife murdered 14 innocent people in San Bernadino CA. Their iPhone 5c was probably used in planning and other communication. Their other phones
 |
| (Note: Originally I had a picture of all the victims faces. Couldn't do it.) |
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| FBI Headquarters |
Apple believes creating a back door key to the iPhone would be very dangerous. They believe that even if securely held, eventually that information would get out. They're right. You can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. They also think the privacy of iPhone users would be at risk. They're right. Does the government snoop on private citizens? You bet your ass they do. Ask Edward Snowden.
 |
| Handle with care. |
But in the end I think this: if you're not doing anything illegal, what have you got to hide? The FBI can look at my phone all they want. Good luck with that. I don't have anything incriminating or embarrassing on there. I wish I did. Maybe I'd be leading a more exciting life. You there - having that affair! Delete that thread. You there - with those embarrassing pictures that should have been deleted long ago! Don't worry. Somebody else has a copy and is waiting for you to piss them off to use them against you.
Now I want to talk to iPhone users. You own a great phone. It's beautiful. Maybe the best there is. I know you love it. But I'm asking you to dump it. Switch at least until Apple cooperates with the government. Boycott Apple. I understand I have the minority view here. But in my heart, this is how I feel.
In the interest of being transparent here, I am not an iPhone user. Never have been. For some reason, whenever something is wildly popular, I look for an alternative. Don't know why. That's just me. Got no Facebook page either. Back in the day, I wasn't wild about the Beatles for the same reason. Maybe I'm weird.
 |
| Apple's new HQ opening later this year. |
Were Japanese Americans rights violated during WWII? Unquestionably. Wrong or right, it was wartime. It's easy to look back and criticize with the perspective of the 21st century.
I don't think Apple has any alternative but to help. The alternative could be disastrous. News coverage of the next school bombed by a terrorist group could be sponsored by Apple. (At least on SNL.) "The iPhone - the phone recommended by today's successful terrorist." Kids taken to ambulances covered by blankets with the Apple logo.
This is wartime. Make no mistake. Our country is fighting a faceless 21st century enemy. It's not a traditional enemy. They might be living on your street planning the next attack. IPhone users, your country needs your help. If you agree with me, make your voice heard. Change your phone. Or at least contact Apple and ask them to find a way to help.
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