By Jewels Gutowski ’16

My motto is always to be safe rather than sorry, but the recent controversy surrounding the federal order requiring Apple to help the FBI has caused me to switch to the opposing side. Privacy versus national security is a controversial issue, especially as technology and security measures advance, but when does the government overstep its boundaries?

On Feb. 16, a federal ruling ordered Apple Inc. to assist the FBI in breaking into an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the San Bernardino attack killing 14 people. The FBI wants to investigate Farook’s iPhone to determine whether the shooting he planned with his wife, Tashfe35en Malik, was connected to the Islamic State.

According to Apple’s website, the FBI is unable to get into Farook’s phone because of a standard feature on all iPhones: After 10 incorrect passcode attempts, the phone is wiped clean of all of its data. The court order requires Apple to bypass certain restrictions in the software, enabling the FBI to test an unlimited number of passcodes without having the contents erased. They are forcing Apple to put all of its customers at risk for personal data breach, violating our given rights to privacy as citizens.

While I support keeping our country safe, I am not willing to enable the FBI, as well as future hackers, to more easily access all of the contents on my phone.

The FBI cannot do this themselves because iPhones are made to run on iOS, an encrypted software exclusive to Apple’s operating system and products. In Cook’s letter, he guarantees the company’s opposition to the agency’s request and explains the potential threat to users’ security.

Thank goodness for Tim Cook. Had he been willing to assist the FBI, then all of our information could potentially be more easily accessible to hackers and identity thieves. The government argues that this would be a one time thing, limited to this case and this case alone, but they are missing a glaring hole in their reasoning. There is no way to guarantee such control of this crucial information. Once created, the technique to bypass Apple’s security system can used by anyone with the “code” and virtually any iPhone could be accessed. Despite government protests, this would probably not be the last time such a federal order would be made, especially if previously given permission.

If there was some way to get into Farook’s iPhone while also guaranteeing the security and privacy of all users, then I would be completely for it. But potentially revealing a way to diminish decades of security advancements is simply not worth it.

Cook said it best: “It would be wrong for the government to force us to build a backdoor into our products… Ultimately, we fear that this demand would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect.”