With the DOJ attempting to rip Apple a new one and an Apple attorney firing back, the President offered his opinion on the recent encryption debacle between the FBI and Apple at SXSW, amidst some talk about the direction of today's tech industry.
- In Case You Missed It: The FBI vs. Apple & Encryption
While not commenting on the Apple case directly, President Obama said "All of us value our privacy and this is a society that is built on a constitution and a bill of rights and a healthy skepticism about overreaching government power."
To reinforce that sentiment, the President added, "I am of the view that there are very real reasons why we want to make sure that the government can not just willy-nilly get into everybody's iPhones, or smartphones, that are full of very personal information and very personal data."
But after seemingly siding with the privacy advocates and the rest of the tech world, the President then followed up with a few statements that remind you he's still a government official. "If it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system ... then how do we apprehend the child pornographer? How do we solve or disrupt a terrorist plot?" Obama then added, "If in fact you can't crack that all, if the government can't get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss Bank account in their pocket."
Sounds as though Obama has a good grasp on the situation, but it seems as though the President is playing both sides of the fence here. He's likely aware that we want our privacy, but the man has an intimate knowledge of terrorism that you and I probably never will, which surely makes it tough for him to outright shun the FBI's behavior. Suffice it to say, this battle won't be settled any time soon, but maybe it's time to step up as Commander in Chief, or let someone else.
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2 Comments
Don't we all want Swiss Bank Accounts in our pockets?
Indeed we all do. I can see he wants to rip apple a new one but also wants to play to the masses. The problem is the FBI are like children compared to the NSA. The FBI wants that iPhone data at all costs, consequences be damned. The NSA on the other hand realize that if apple places a back door, all hell will break loose. It will be a hacker frenzy lol. This would essentially allow any country to access and spy on any user that has an iPhone.
Not to mention the backlash with all apple customers. Apple would lose a huge market if they lost the case.
If you value privacy that much, I am pretty sure you wouldn't be using a phone, period. Obama doesn't even carry a phone with him when he needs privacy, so what does that tell you?
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