As CEO Tim Cooks open letter to customers stating that Apple would oppose the order points out,the request ‘has implications far beyond the legal case at handBoth the motion Tuesday ordering Apple to help the FBI access the contents of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s encrypted iPhone – and Apple CEO Tim Cook’s public letter refusing to do so – appear to be the latest volley in a dispute over encryption that has been going on between law enforcement and Silicon Valley, off and on, and for over 20 years. Though the FBI’s request studiously avoids asking Apple to directly decrypt Farook’s data or hand over his key,the debate is the same: can law enforcement compel tech companies to supply the means to access consumers’ data?
This is not only a US issue. The UK government promises legislation … to compel communications service providers, including US-based corporations, and to grant access to UK law enforcement agencies,and other countries would certainly follow suit. China has intimated that it may require exceptional access. whether a British-based developer deploys a messaging application used by citizens of China, must it provide exceptional access to Chinese law enforcement?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com