Page 6 - DIGICEL 20 FEB 2016
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TECHNOLOGY A23
Saturday 20 February 2016
Big tech companies belatedly join Apple in encryption fight
BRANDON BAILEY In this Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2015, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses the new iPhone 6s and cases for the Dorsey &
AP Technology Writers iPhone 6s Plus during the Apple event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. Apple Whitney law firm. He said
has spent years setting itself up as the champion of individual privacy and security, a decision it appeared the govern-
MICHAEL LIEDTKE that’s landed it in the government’s crosshairs over an iPhone allegedly used by one of the San ment took pains to ask only
AP Technology Writers Bernardino shooters. The high-profile case presents risks for Apple almost no matter what it does, for limited assistance in a
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — and may spill over into the broader tech industry as well, potentially chilling cooperation with mass-murder case that
Leading tech companies federal efforts to curb extremism. horrified the nation.
are rallying behind Apple Apple’s Cook, how-
— some belatedly — in its Associated Press ever, declared the de-
fight against a court order mand would create what
requiring the company to Cook argues that once who studies data security sells millions of iPhones in amounts to a “backdoor”
help investigators break such a tool is available, and privacy issues. in Apple’s encryption soft-
into an iPhone used by one “the technique could be While tech companies China, which has become ware. “If the government
of the San Bernardino mass used over and over again, have spoken against broad can use the All Writs Act
shooters. on any number of devic- government surveillance in the company’s second- to make it easier to unlock
A U.S. magistrate ordered es,” even as law enforce- the past, the Obama ad- your iPhone, it would have
Apple to produce software ment insists that safeguards ministration has recently largest market. the power to reach into
that would give investiga- could be employed to sought to enlist the tech in- anyone’s device to cap-
tors access to the iPhone at limit its use to that particu- dustry’s help in fighting ter- “This case is going to affect ture their data,” he wrote
issue. Apple has until next lar phone. On Tuesday, he rorism. Several companies in the open letter. Cook
Tuesday to challenge that posted a 1,117-word open have recently heeded the everyone’s privacy and se- also pledged respect for
ruling, setting the stage for letter arguing that the FBI’s administration’s request for law enforcement and out-
a legal clash that could request might have impli- voluntary efforts aimed at curity around the world,” rage over the shootings.
determine whether tech cations “far beyond the le- countering terrorist postings Cook may have no choice
companies or government gal case at hand.” on social media. said Lee Tien, a staff attor- but to mount a legal chal-
authorities get the final say For months, Cook has en- Civil liberties groups warned lenge, given his very public
on just how secure devices gaged in a sharp, public the fallout from the San Ber- ney for the Electronic Fron- commitment to protecting
like smartphones can be. debate with government nardino dispute could ex- customer data. Two fellows
CEO Tim Cook decried the officials over his company’s tend beyond Apple. tier Foundation, a digital at the Brookings Institution
order on Tuesday, saying decision to shield the data “This is asking a company criticized that stance Thurs-
it would degrade iPhone of iPhone users with strong to build a digital defect, rights group in San Fran- day, writing that Apple’s
security and make users encryption — essentially a design flaw, into their “self-presentation as cru-
more vulnerable to spies locking up people’s photos, products,” said Nuala cisco. The case turns on an sading on behalf of the
and cyberthieves. text messages and other O’Connor of the Center for privacy of its customers is
“We stand with @tim_cook data so securely that even Democracy and Technol- 18th-century law that the largely self-congratulatory
and Apple (and thank him Apple can’t get at it. Law- ogy, a Washington-based nonsense.”
for his leadership)!” Twitter enforcement officials from group that has criticized government has invoked to Cook has made privacy
chief executive Jack Dors- FBI Director James Comey government surveillance. protection a part of Ap-
ey wrote in a tweet Thurs- on down have complained In a statement, the center require private assistance ple’s marketing strategy,
day afternoon. that terrorists and criminals warned that other compa- drawing a contrast with
In a statement late Thurs- may use that encryption as nies could face similar or- with law enforcement ef- companies like Google
day, Facebook said it con- a shield. ders in the future. and Facebook that sell ad-
demns terrorism and also “This is really a deep ques- Others said a government forts. Apple has also chal- vertising based on custom-
appreciates the essential tion about the power of victory could encourage ers’ online behavior.
work of law enforcement in government to redesign regimes in China and oth- lenged a federal search Apple “can’t be seen now
keeping people safe. But it products that we use,” said er countries to make simi- as doing something that
said it will “fight aggressive- Ryan Calo, a University of lar requests for access to warrant based on the same would make their products
ly” against requirements for Washington law professor smartphone data. Apple less safe,” said Wendy Pat-
companies to weaken the law in a Brooklyn drug case. rick, who lectures about
security of their systems. business ethics at San Di-
“These demands would Apple has complied with ego State University. “I
create a chilling prece- think everyone saw this is-
dent and obstruct compa- previous orders invoking sue coming down the pike
nies’ efforts to secure their and Apple always knew it
products,” the statement that law — the All Writs Act was going to push back
said. when the moment came.”
Google CEO Sundar Pi- of 1789 — although it has But in doing so, Apple risks
chai also voiced support alienating consumers who
for Apple in a series of ear- argued the circumstances put a higher value on na-
lier tweets. “Forcing com- tional security than pri-
panies to enable hacking were different. vacy. A recent survey by
could compromise users’ the Pew Research Center
privacy,” Pichai wrote on While experts said the case found 82 percent of U.S.
Wednesday, adding that adults deemed govern-
the case “could be a trou- will likely end up in appeals ment surveillance of sus-
bling precedent.” pected terrorists to be ac-
The government isn’t ask- court, both sides seemed ceptable. Apple’s stance
ing Apple to help break was already drawing fire
the iPhone’s encryption di- to be framing the debate Wednesday from GOP
rectly, but to disable other presidential candidate
security measures that pre- for a public audience as Donald Trump and com-
vent attempts to guess the mentators on Fox News.q
phone’s passcode. much as for a judge.
The federal request “is very
strategic on their part, to
be sure” said Robert Cat-
tanach, a former Justice
Department lawyer who
handles cyber-security
