Apple’s CEO Tim Cook recently refused to assist the FBI in unlocking a terrorist’s iPhone. Apple’s objection to helping the law enforcement break into an iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters has gained them many supporters, one of them being the president of Microsoft. Microsoft’s president Brad Smith conveyed at a congressional hearing that he supports Apple’s decision because he does not believe that “courts should seek to resolve issues of 21st century technology with a law that was written in the era of the adding machine.” Larry Downes, a project director at Georgetown Business School, added that Apple views this issue as as “a matter of the constitution” and “the FBI says it’s of national security.”

The public opinion is still divided on the Apple vs. FBI case, since some are siding with the government’s requirement to battle terrorism and some with Apple’s concern with customer privacy. Apple refused to unlock the terrorist phone because if they did it would “create a dangerous backdoor into the technology.” Whether the government should have to break into people’s devices in efforts to reduce terrorism remains a controversy. Microsoft has come out to support Apple, stating the order would “undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.”

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, added at the Mobile World Congress in Spain that he does not believe “requiring back doors into encryption is either going to be an effective way to increase security or is really the right thing to do.” Should the government need huge tech companies to break into customers’ devices? Who will win this “rivalry” is yet to be known in court.

Sophomore David Caliendo argues that the FBI “should be able to view the content under the specific circumstances.” Caliendo added, “It’s not Apple’s fault of making the choice of not giving away the information because if they give it to the FBI, other sources may demand it; however; under the circumstances Apple should give their information to the FBI due to the possibility of them being able to regain more information about someone’s intentions and/or connections by reading through their phone.”

Who do you support Apple or the FBI? Should people have to sacrifice their privacy in means of protection from terrorism?
Share your views in the comments below.