“On February 18th, Senator Lindsey Graham had this to say about the FBI v. Apple court battle. ‘Our nation is at war and this iPhone was used to kill Americans. We need to protect our homeland, not terrorists. To Tim Cook and Apple, cooperate with the FBI,'” Tim Cushing reports for TechDirt. “As surprised as we were to learn it was an iPhone that killed 14 people in San Bernardino, rather than the attackers and the weapons they wielded, Graham had yet another surprise in store for us.”
Cushing reports, “Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who last December called on Silicon Valley to stop selling encrypted devices, expressed serious concern on Wednesday about the precedent the Department of Justice would set if it successfully compels Apple to break iPhone security features. ‘I was all with you until I actually started getting briefed by the people in the Intel Community,’ Graham told Attorney General Loretta Lynch during an oversight hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee. ‘I will say that I’m a person that’s been moved by the arguments about the precedent we set and the damage we might be doing to our own national security.'”
“This is what happens when legislators stop following their gut instincts on subjects they know little about and actually seek input from those who do know what’s involved and what’s at stake,” Cushing writes. “Graham — without speaking to ‘people in the Intel Community’ — originally presented terrorism as Apple’s problem. With the benefit of technically-adept hindsight, Graham is now seeing this for what it is: a push for a dangerous precedent that won’t end with this one iPhone and Apple.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Welcome aboard the Freedom Express, Mr. Graham. All aboard!
SEE ALSO:
Obama administration begins to realize it may have made a big time mistake going after Apple over iPhone encryption – March 15, 2016
Tech companies join Apple to fight back against government overreach, prep to expand encryption of user data – March 15, 2016
Google’s Eric Schmidt is joining the Pentagon’s new How Apple realized it was at war with the FBI: The DOJ was poised to launch PR campaign designed to pull the public’s heartstrings – March 15, 2016
Richard Clarke: U.S. government more interested in setting legal precedent than solving the problem of one iPhone – March 15, 2016
Obama criticized for ‘tone deaf’ comments at SXSW regarding Apple’s fight against government overreach – March 14, 2016
The U.S. government’s fight with Apple could backfire big time – March 14, 2016
John Oliver just smartly explained Apple’s fight against U.S. government overreach – March 14, 2016
U.S. Congressman Darrell Issa at SXSW: ‘Hold your iPhone a little bit higher, so the FBI can hear us better’ – March 14, 2016
Obama pushes for iPhone back door; Congressman Issa blasts Obama’s ‘fundamental lack of understanding’ – March 12, 2016
U.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
Snowden: U.S. government’s claim it can’t unlock San Bernardino iPhone is ‘bullshit’ – March 10, 2016
Apple: The law already exists that protects us from U.S. government demands to hack iPhone – February 26, 2016
Apple said to be prepping iOS version that even it can’t hack – February 25, 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
Geez! Graham muster have realized that as a senior senator the fbi would be monitoring all his information for bits of dirt to use against him.
I’m really sick of spell incorrection.
Turn it off. That’s what I do, and it’s made me a better typist and less of a slave to the AI who runs everything and is toying with us pathetic humans like a weimaraner worrying a mole rat.
silverhawk1 wrote: “I’m really sick of spell incorrection.”
Yep, auto-incorrect.
I supported Lindsay Graham for President, and I was sad he dropped out, but events lay their own crooked path, regardless of what men want. My grandmother used to say that, usually every time an election went to the lesser of two evils. Which was every freaking time.
He’s still on the side of the US global military empire aka, warmonger
Not a warmonger; just not a surrender monkey.
How do you define warmonger?
One doesn’t put military forces on foreign soil under false pretenses and without the request of the local people if you are not a warmonger. Graham is a chicken hawk on record supporting America’s post-911 revenge war just like all of Congress. Led by lies and deceit by Bush’s cronies.
Mike, “One doesn’t put military forces on foreign soil under false pretenses and without the request of the local people ”
Er, which local people do you refer to, the local dictator or the local rebels (christian or muslim).
Sad to say, its not a black and white world out there any more and most politicians almost NEVER want to do preventative things any more, just reactive things…!!!! that gets the most votes. 🙁
Every country with a military on this planet seeks a global military empire…, so, which one’s side are you on?
I’m not sure it’s good thing to have the support of ol’ Graham Cracker.
I rarely agree with Senator Graham but I very much appreciate his having an open mind on this and making the effort to do research and learn. Kudos.
Does anyone know exactly what phone those terrorists did use for their personal use? Curious.
We know that they had two other phones they owned for their personal use. We are told that both phones were deliberately and thoroughly smashed to the point where it is impossible to retrieve data from them. The iPhone in contention was not their personal property but belonged to the male gunman’s employer. This phone was found in the gunman’s car. No attempt had been made to damage it.
Derek, ” No attempt had been made to damage it.” except buy the FBI (changing passwords so data can not be uploaded to iCloud) !!! LOL
The FBI has done an incredible botch-jog all the way around this phone. I’m tending to think that FBI Director James Comey makes his emotional appeals regarding this iPhone because that is how he actually THINKS, as opposed to thinking rationally. Sheesh.
I’m just wondering if the FBI deliberately changed the iCloud password.
That way, no data can be retrieved unless they get Apple to create a ‘backdoor’ to disable the security features.
Is this a carefully orchestrated plan along with FUD and propaganda to paint Apple into a corner where Apple is forced to hand all government agencies the tools to break into current and future iPhones?
I’m beginning to think it is.
The DoJ/FBI have been just waiting for a case involving an iPhone where they could shout ‘TERRORISTS!, TERRORISTS! from the roof tops.
As soon as you mention the word, Americans get in a panic and are ready to throw their own rights to privacy and security away.
Exactly. I’ve read a couple analyses of the situation that came to the same conclusions. The event of changing the password throws into contention either their competence or their the integrity of their intentions.
Reading the commentary by FBI Director James Comey and watching his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee makes it entirely clear that Comey is using emotional rhetoric to support his purpose, as opposed to rational, factual support. He specifically berates We The People for becoming overly emotional about this situation while at the same time pulling on our heart strings, encouraging our emotional engagement of the problem. My personal perspective at this time is either that he is deliberately avoiding the technological aspects of his request, or he is incapable of comprehending them. In any case, he comes off as technologically inept, someone who should NOT be involved with this fundamental issue of citizen’s rights within the USA. It is my hope that he is removed from his position at the FBI as he has entirely botched this situation from day one. He’s a detriment to the FBI and its efforts. He makes Apple look very good in comparison.
I’m definitely not a fan of Lindsey Graham but you must give him credit for admitting he was wrong. I suspect we will never, ever here our POTUS say the same.
you mean “hear”?
Actually, I’ve heard virtually every president admit they’ve been wrong about something, including Obama, Bush, Clinton, Bush, etc.
I can only imagine ONE President never admitting they were wrong. And that’s Trump if he were elected. Which hopefully is never.
I can’t remember a time when Obama wasn’t blaming someone else for his failures. Just this week, he blamed his Libya “sh*t show” on British PM David Cameron.
If all you view is partisan media that presents one side of the story, then that’s all you’ll ever see.
Please don’t parrot the bias, use your noggin. A year ago the talking heads were whining that Obama was an “apologist”, and now you’re telling us that he’s not humble enough.
I am glad Obama didn’t send troops to Libya. It’s bad enough that permanent military installations were created anywhere in Africa or the Middle East. Now thanks to GWB, everyone there views the USA as occupiers rather than liberators.
Being an apologist to the world for the supposed wrongs of the U.S., isn’t the same of admitting a personal error.
To bring back an old political war chant:
HE’S A FLIP-FLOPPER! YOU CAN’T TRUST HIM!
That did not work against Ronald Reagan, who changed positions and even parties, or against anyone else with any charisma.
(o_0) I consider Lindsey Graham to be verging on the senile. He typically says some whacked out statements in public. But I’m heartened to see he has some modicum of curiosity and interest in viewpoints other than his own, more informed than his own. Bravo for Lindsey Graham.
Lol. He knows whose side is winning now.