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22 Comments
Nancy Smith

Apple, You Lying, Thieving Bunch of Technocrats

February 18, 2016 - 8:00am

How duplicitous that Apple would talk about privacy rights while refusing to help protect the national security of the country that gave it the chance to be founded.

That’s right. Apple is refusing to provide under court order the encrypted information that would help the FBI unlock the iPhone of the San Bernardino terrorist-killers.

Apple says that if they don’t protect the rights of these terrorists, then we could succumb to the wishes of an overreaching governmental bureaucracy that is charged with protecting our country from both domestic and foreign jihadists and provocateurs.

At the same time the “blinded to the light” Apple engineers are constantly working to increase the value of their technological wizard -- the iPhone -- by helping it to track our movements, our purchasing choices through mobile apps, aggregating data on what shows we watch or the music we listen to.

Yet, somehow in the feeble minds of Apple leadership it's OK to collect, without our permission and until relatively recently even without our knowledge, about all the tools that are built-in to the iPhones to help corporate America know how to pitch their products to all of us 24/7.

And when we do find out about the systems within our iPhones that collect and disseminate this critically important and valuable date, it’s not easy to disable these systems because that might cut into their corporate profits.

In fact, in a recent Rossin Report on NBC's "Today" show, the investigative reporter had to walk us through the laborious process of disabling one of the systems that tracks everything we do with our smartphones! And he had to show us twice how to do it so as to not confuse consumers on how to make this personal data collector ineffective.

I’m all for personal privacy, though I may not be as vigilant about it as some others in our society who worry about Big Brother watching our every move. In some respects, I wished government was able to do just that because they might be able to thwart more crimes and if that’s the trade-off we need to make our society safer, I am willing to make the deal right now.

No, Apple has now gotten on its high horse and is supposedly taking the moral high ground to save us from government while they simultaneously make us vulnerable to business intelligence.  

Hey, Apple, what’s the difference? You’re just changing one poison that doesn’t make you a profit for another that does make you a profit.

Heck, I believe in a free enterprise system and I always will.

But don’t think all of us are so stupid as to believe your b.s. that you're protecting us when you’re really not.

When it comes to the national security of this country, there is NO EXCUSE for not stopping the next 9/11 attack, or Columbine massacre, or Sandy Hook killing. 

That’s exactly what law-abiding citizens expect our government to do.

I know many of you felt like you were stabbed-in-the-back by Snowden’s exposure of government spying, but if you’re not doing anything illegal, why worry?

Oh, I know. Some are afraid that our conversations may end up in some database.  

Well, have at it. Because you can listen to all of my conversations you want and you’re not going to find me doing anything that would undermine our country, and for 99.9 percent of our citizens the same is patently true.

So Apple, quit preaching privacy because you’re as guilty as the government that you're trying to sell out.

National security trumps just about anything in my simple mind. I know there are many people who think waterboarding is morally reprehensible, but I wholeheartedly agree with former Vice President Dick Cheney when he says he’d support it again if that’s what it takes to protect our country and our way of life.

Now before all you left-wingers start having a hissy-fit, just remember that we all exist because our military and our government’s first and foremost responsibility is to protect us from those who would do us harm.

And I know all of you libs believe it can only be done in a politically correct way, but for me it’s really simple: Do whatever you have to do to protect us. Not from ourselves but from the enemy, and most Americans can identify just who the enemy are.

For me, I hope Apple gets their clock cleaned in court. And if I could get rid of my iPhone I would, but the problem is, all of the other digital technology companies have the same perverted view of privacy.

What Apple and the other technology companies are really saying is, our privacy is supreme so long as they can mine our data to make money for themselves. But if it’s about helping to stop terrorists or finding out the motive of what led domestic terrorists to take action, then they have to draw the line.

How sick and pathetic these tech wizards really are.

Can you imagine if corporate America had taken a similar stance in World War II? We might now all be talking German or Japanese.

No, Apple you’re very wrong. And I just hope you never have to be proven wrong because that might mean our national security is indeed at dire risk.

I know, I know, the rule of law must prevail.  

Just don’t hide behind your transparent justifications and then try to tell me it’s raining when you’re really peeing on my leg; I’m not that gullible.

Barney Bishop III, one of the most familiar faces within the state business community, is CEO of Barney Bishop Consulting LLC in Tallahassee.

 

 

Comments

Mr Bishop. Digital information is too easily hacked and the tremendous personal data we now store including detailed health history, credit card information, communications, etc is not something that should be easily decrypted. But that aside ... I am very concerned and upset with your very own publication that publishes for all the world to see the IP address of each respondent to your Opinion Polls. The IP ADDRESS , VOTE and TIMESTAMP you publish can be easily looked up on the internet at a site I found by googling which gives a detailed pin-dropped map of where the reader's IP is located - mostly their home residences!!! Check out whatismyipaddress + .com (separated as to not be deleted by your SPAM filters). SSN publishes the IP ADDRESS on the "Results" tab of your Poll. Why doesn't SSNews fix its own technology and let Apple worry about the security of its own devices.

Typical Bishop. A social agitator that provides halfwit commentary on issues he knows really nothing about. Bishop, don't you do business with free-market think tanks? Seems like you capitulate far different ideals....

Bull. You show your ignorance. Read the Order, which is available on line. Apple has a legal right to respond to this ex parte Order, which it will do. This is an issue which should be fully vetted by the Courts. Those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither. Benjamin Franklin.

Apple should be compelled to give up the information on the scum bag terrorists phone. i.e. contacts calls incoming/outgoing etc. Furthermore, the federal government or owners of apple phones should sue Apple for gathering information unauthorized including but not limited to their buying habits, call preferences, site visits etc. Technology companies have become the "Big Brothers" of the the world. Neither the government nor any business should have that kind of power over the people. Secondly, the government has no rights to the proprietary secrets of Apple's Encryptions,but any technology company should be compelled to work with government agencies in certain situations like terrorists events and to assist in helping prevent horrific events like 911 san Bernardino etc. The writer indicates capitulating individual rights for the sake of having big brother (the government) to oversee "ALL" is totally insane. That being said, I think the government has the right to escalate the obvious for information when it is in the interest of national security. Protecting the rights of a terrorists living or dead by invoking our constitution is a warped sense patriotism, and serves only to use the very document that was created to protect us from tyranny to be used as a weapon against us in these times where technology is the invisible weapon to be be uses for good or evil depending on who controls it!

Hold on everyone... We live in a FREE SOCIETY, remember? I would hope that a patriotic US company would step up to the plate and find a way to help their own government too, but if we allow our government to force such things from people or companies--then we will deserve it when they start doing it to all of us. I do not believe that people who work for Apple are any smarter or more qualified than people who don't work for them but are in the same line of technology. Surely, our government can come up with a way to get this data. After all, are they not keeping track of everything we were texting and saying on our cell phones anyhow? I think this is a ploy by the current administration to find a way to get us riled up so we demand Apple cave to it, giving the government another inch toward taking away every, single right from us that they can.

Agree with the writer on Apples duplicity. They are worse than the NSA and invade my privacy each time I must contact a family member who have an iPhone or tablet. Obviously they have methods that can unlock a terrorist iphone for the government that does not risk Security for every other iPhone operator. when more lives are put in jeopardy because of their in transience remember this.

WRONG WAY TO THINK ABOUT IT... Our government is plenty qualified to do this themselves. They are playing crybaby in the sandbox because another child won't give them their toys. Wake up! What happens to Apple could happen to you on a smaller scale. We must protect our freedoms and rights with all of our might. They are trying to dupe us into agreeing with this so they can go in and demand that Apple ... NEXT, it will be your door and my door they are knocking on.

Apple should be held in contempt of court !!

... so then if that is done to Apple, it will be done to Jim and his family next... Open your eyes. Duuuhhhhh!

This is the most misinformed commentary seen on Sunshine News EVER Apple has said it will, with a warrant extract the data for the FBI, in other words give it what it NEEDS, but will not re-write IOS to make it possible for any one (like NSA or FBI) to breach our security Anyone who would give up privacy for security deserves neither Who is the idiot writer ?

What information do you have that refutes the fact that Apple has refused to unlock that terrorist phone (privacy is not an issue since both terrorists are dead),, even under a warrant, backed up by a court order? Please share this info with all of us, since all we see is that Apple is refusing the order.

Guys guys guys let's read for content. Everyone with an iPhone knows that if you put a security code on your phone then your data is secure. We also know that if the wrong code is put in more than 10 times the phone erases all of the personal data on the phone and its lost forever. The court order is asking Apple to develop software that would allow the FBI to continue to put codes in the phone more than 10 times so that they can unlock the phone. Apple has stated that they will not develop the software and hand the software over to the government. Apple has agreed to fund a way to extract the info and provide that info to the government. (Source: NBC news Feb 17, 2016 6pm) Apples position is once this software is shared with the FBI there is no way to monitor it's use and who has achess to it. Which means the security and privacy that Apple's millions of customers now have and depend on is gone. In this age of identity theft this is a reasonable position. Think about how many things we have on our phone that we wouldn't want to share with the world. I agree I don't have anything to hide from the government, I am not a terrorist, and I am not involved in any illegal enterprises. With that said I still would not like anyone having access to my phone logs, my contacts, my pictures, my GPS info, my credit card numbers, etc. I have a right to have my life and my info to be personal and protected. If the info is what's important I don't see why the government has an issue.

Try googling the topic, or here is a detailed reference to help you http://betanews.com/2016/02/17/why-apple-is-right-to-reject-the-order-to-unlock-a-killers-phone/ have to cut and paste

Anyone else say this already? GO TRUMP

GO TRUMP! #WeNeedTrump

Mr Thrasher thanks for your technical corrections. But the point that I'm making is straight-forward: national security trumps individual rights in most, not all, cases. This is the private sector alleging the wrong principle inasmuch as the info sought may help prevent another heinous attack. But thanks for your thoughtful comments!

Mr Bishop NO you misrepresented what Apple has said it WILL do. and NO alleged national security does not supersede individual rights The user of the phone is dead, it was over a month away, any phone numbers in it will be dead and all traces lost. The FBI are trying to tell which way the train went by looking at the tracks. There is no national security issue here Had the FBI asked for what they need and not what they WANT they would have had it on time poor writing and even worse thinking

Good commentary, not sure I agree with the government having an open checkbook in terms of deciding how to protect us. Our founding fathers were just as concerned about corrupt government as they were the usual culprits in the corrupt business world. Free Market Capitalism unchecked and unregulated has proven to be the most corrupt enterprise in existence. That is not popular to say. Most will call that socialism or communism and talk about freedom as a talking point, but that is their attempt to deflect what every person should be seeking in life...the truth.

Mr. Bishop, You are a wrong. Apple was not even invited to the hearing. In legal terms, it was ex parte. The "judge" is not a real judge, only a magistrate. The "government" has no idea what is on the iPhone. They just want Apple to create a back door so the government can get into all iPhones and iPads at any time they feel like it. They have been pushing for this for a while now. Now the Feds want Apple to create software to destroy the privacy built into their products. If all is right with the world, Apple should easily prevail on this one. Remember what Benjamin Franklin said "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." P.S. I am not a liberal, far from it, I am a true conservative who values freedom.

I have only one thing to say.....GO TRUMP!

Steve is rolling over in his grave. Go Trump.

LOL!!! Nicely put. Glad I am not the only one seeing through this.

Comments are now closed.

nancy smith
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