This week, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, posted a public letter to his customers explaining why Apple intends to fight a court order demanding that they help crack the security of a dead terrorist’s iPhone. Hearing this, you might think, “I don’t use Apple stuff, so I don’t care,” or “this doesn’t affect me and I want them to catch terrorists.” The problem is, this issue could set a precedent that will affect all of us. Watch today’s Byte to learn more about this issue and why it could affect you, and check out the references below—especially Cook’s Letter—for more details.
Show Note: Unfortunately, this episode is posting a few days late, and I missed a day of the Daily Byte. Technical issues forced me to re-shoot the content.
(Episode Runtime: 8:01)
Direct YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIVHl-tO0BQ
EPISODE REFERENCES:
- Tim Cook’s letter to customers on FBI order – Apple
- FBI uses old law to force Apple to weaken security – Slate
- The actual U.S. court order to Apple [PDF] – Document Cloud
- Editorial debate on FBI or Apple – Bloomberg View
- What is the All Writs Act? – Daily Dot
- How U.S. lawmakers are reacting to the issue – Techdirt
- Well-known hacker’s technical view on this case – Fox News
- Other tech companies back Apple – ZDNet
- Blocking encryption products will not prevent terrorists from using others – Schneier.com
- UPDATE: LA Congressman’s response to the Apple issue (hear, hear!) – House.gov
- UPDATE: Screw up prevents a cloud backup retrieval wo/backdoor – Gizmodo
- FUN: Eccentric McAfee claims FBI doesn’t need Apple, he can crack the iPhone – Uber Gizmo