“Darrell Issa leaves a quick impression. ‘Hold your iPhone a little bit higher, so the FBI can hear us better,’ he says chuckling, eyes glinting,” Jon Swartz reports for USA Today. “The outspoken Republican Congressman from California, whose background is steeped in the tech industry, has immediately let his thoughts be known on the Apple-FBI standoff.”
“In a wide-ranging, 40-minute interview here Sunday, Issa not only tackled the topic du jour for many in tech but recounted his seven years at SXSW and the impact of innovation on the global economy and people’s lives,” Swartz reports. “FBI Director James Comey ‘was honest and forthright’ presenting the bureau’s case before Congress on why it needs Apple to unlock an iPhone linked to the Dec. 2 San Bernardino, Calif., terrorist attack. ‘But here, the FBI is pushing (privacy) limits. I believe it is a bad decision.'”
Swartz reports, “The repercussions of creating a digital ‘backdoor’ to the iPhone not only weakens technology, but endangers the civil liberties of individuals, emboldens prosecutors to pursue thousands of similar cases and compromises corporations like Apple overseas, where privacy laws are stricter.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Ah, rational thought. More, please! Much more!
There have been people that suggest that we should have a back door. But the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door’s for everybody, for good guys and bad guys. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, December 2015
This is not about this phone. This is about the future. And so I do see it as a precedent that should not be done in this country or in any country. This is about civil liberties and is about people’s abilities to protect themselves. If we take encryption away… the only people that would be affected are the good people, not the bad people. Apple doesn’t own encryption. Encryption is readily available in every country in the world, as a matter of fact, the U.S. government sponsors and funs encryption in many cases. And so, if we limit it in some way, the people that we’ll hurt are the good people, not the bad people; they will find it anyway. — Apple CEO Tim Cook, February 2016
SEE ALSO:
Obama pushes for iPhone back door; Congressman Issa blasts Obama’s ‘fundamental lack of understanding’ – March 12, 2016
U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa: The FBI should try to unlock shooter’s iPhone without Apple’s help – March 2, 2016
U.S. Representative Darrell Issa on Apple vs. FBI: Very scary when your government wants to know more about you – February 24, 2016U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch backs U.S. government overreach on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – March 11, 2016
Former CIA Director: FBI wants to dictate iPhone’s operating system – March 11, 2016
U.S. government takes cheap shots at Apple – March 11, 2016
FBI warns it could demand Apple’s iPhone code and secret electronic signature – March 10, 2016
California Democrat Diane Feinstein backs U.S. government overreach over Apple – March 10, 2016
Obama lists the ‘tech leaders’ involved in new U.S. Cybersecurity Initiative and purposely snubs Apple – March 10, 2016
Snowden: U.S. government’s claim it can’t unlock San Bernardino iPhone is ‘bullshit’ – March 10, 2016
U.S. government seeks to force Apple to extract data from a dozen more iPhones – February 23, 2016
Apple could easily lock rights-trampling governments out of future iPhones – February 20, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook lashes out at Obama administration over encryption, bemoans White House lack of leadership – January 13, 2016
Short-timer U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder blasts Apple for protecting users’ privacy against government overreach – September 30, 2014
Obama administration demands master encryption keys from firms in order to conduct electronic surveillance against Internet users – July 24, 2013
It’s great that Issa is being reasonable on this issue; I wish he were the same voice of reason on other important issues. He denies the science of climate change, and is against a woman’s right to choose. Interesting fact: he is the richest member of Congress.
Issa needs to teach the other members of his party on this privacy issue, because the overwhelming number of GOP elected officials and candidates for office oppose Apple on this privacy case. Even the FBI director, Comey, is a Republican.
FBI v Apple doesn’t seem to follow party lines. It does appear to follow intelligence level. Those who are smart realize opening the iPhone would be a very ugly, slippery slope. Those less wise truly believe the government should have unlimited access because Big Brother is here to help. Unfortunately, the intelligent are usually outvoted by the more numerous stupid, hence the elected officials we have.
Actually there are many smart people in government. It’s a myth to say otherwise.
The issue is more of what type of training and experience you have, along with what your responsibilities are. I know a pediatric neurosurgeon that has problems with basic computer operation; it’s just not something she practices a lot. But she’s very smart.
Also, if you are in law enforcement and your duty is to protect people from bad guys, you naturally see this differently from someone working in software programming trying to make secure operating systems.
Issa has only one advantage: he has a background in the tech sector, specifically automotive aftermarket security devices. Without that he’d be just as stupid as he is on every other issue.
Issa need to educate his peers.
Is Issa over 35 years old and a definite natural born cisizen of the USA? Just askin’.
As opposed to our hypocrite-in-chief:
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-china-idUSKBN0LY2H520150302