Your Opinion on the Controversy Between Apple & the FBI

Hello WAers:

I am working on writing an article about the battle between Apple and the US Government over Apple's refusal on the FBI's backdoor request into the iPhone. I am not sure who has heard the latest about the battle between Apple computer and the FBI.

Here is the story in a nutshell:

After the San Bernandino shooting in California, USA, the US government has demanded a backdoor to break into the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. They of course are stating it is imperative to get information that could convict the assailants and put them away for a long time. Apple does not wish to do that and here are some of their reasons:

1. Privacy implications.

2. Opens the door to hackers. As Tim Cook says by creating a backdoor that doesn’t exist as of right now means opening it up to be exploited by cybercriminals. Presently, the iPhone is encrypted with an algorithm that Apple itself cannot break. If Apple were to create such a backdoor, it would not take too long before hackers could break the code and exploit this. Too many incorrect guesses at a password and the phone will automatically erase its memory.

3. Apple says it is bad for business. The Blackberry had a one-time reputation for security and that is what made it the phone of choice in the US Government and private business sectors. Everyone loved this phone because of it. Once it gave in to various governments’ demands for ways to access customer messages, that reputation—and Blackberry’s fortunes—took a hit. Apple and Google have come a long way since then in developing security features that make it impossible for the companies themselves to break into the devices. Succumbing to FBI pressure now will significantly hurt Apple’s image on the security front.

I would love to hear other opinions for research into my article and get some ideas of different angles. I have a new section on WA site for Newsworthy events relating to technology. And I am working on this and could use some input from like-minded intelligent tech-savvy individuals such as yourself.