A few years or so back there was the tragic terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. The attack took the lives of about fourteen people and injured twenty-two more. After taking down the shooter and their accomplice, the FBI scoured all over for a motive and any information that might help them prevent another attack. One very useful piece of evidence was the shooter's phone which had a high chance of containing very important information and an explanation. The problem then came when the FBI needed to unlock the iPhone so they demanded Apple to create a program to unlock the phone but Apple blatantly denied that request. This lead to a public court battle between Apple and the FBI, but in the end the FBI ended up using another source to open the phone. This an example of one of the most the controversial issues going on and will continue to go on.
If the FBI were able to see what's going on in everyone's minds, then the fear of being a victim of a tragic incident disperses. At the same time, we would have literally zero privacy and all our actions and thoughts would be monitored. The same goes for the other end of the spectrum. If the FBI were to never dig deep into the lives of an average American citizen, then we would all be driven insane with the paranoia of being a victim of an attack. If Apple were to give the FBI an universal program to unlock all our programs, then they would be able to infiltrate a majority of the population through phones. Its all a question of how much a person is willing to give up for their own safety.
- Nawoda W
Personally, I believe that the trade off of giving up our privacy for our safety is worth it. If we were to give up our privacy, would the FBI be the only people monitoring what we are doing? If so, then it would be worth, but if our information was released to the public then that wouldn't do. What are your opinions on this topic?
ReplyDeleteI for one am not a fan of giving up my privacy for security. I do believe that we should have some security but we shouldn't be giving the FBI the ability to get into everyone's personal life. Maybe as technology develops we could find a compromise in this debate but it could as make it worse.
DeletePrivacy is central to Apple's business model and its product marketing, as opposed to Google's which offer lower prices at the cost of people's data. If Apple were to allow the FBI to access anyone's devices at will, they would lose the trust of their customers. Corporations with as many consumers as Apple shouldn't have to work with government agencies and hand over the personal lives of individuals. Even if the FBI could monitor individuals, the average's person's life will not be significantly safer.
ReplyDeleteWe all have a right to our own privacy that is normal. However I see why the government may need to spy on us in order to keep us safe.
ReplyDelete