Apple and the FBI Are Still Letting Egos Get In The Way of Justice

The major disagreement between tech giant Apple and the FBI is gaining momentum now that it has been plopped in the public domain.

Each side is adamant about the stance they have assumed and nobody is willing to budge. Not even for the sake of justice.

As we all know, the tragic shooting in San Bernardino that claimed 14 lives and left 22 critically injured was beyond unfortunate and another wake up call in the debate against the easy accessibility to guns.

But besides that was the obvious question of “why?” and “how?” which can only be answered once a thorough investigation has been executed.

This where the FBI comes in – as the organization assumes the responsibility of cracking all the necessary codes and unveiling the suspicious to reveal the sick motivations and possible connections responsible for the monstrous acts insurrection.

Part of the process involves demanding access to gadgets or files that could hold the key to a mystery that needs to be unlocked – and in this case it’s the iPhone 5c.

This is where Apple comes in. Or not. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook isn’t convinced that providing the passcode for the phone belonging to the man responsible for such a heinous crime is such a good idea.

In a letter to his employees, Cook highlighted the main reason why he feels compelled to stand his ground and refuse access to the FBI: “The case is about more than a single phone or a single investigation. At stake is the data security of hundreds of millions of law-abiding people, and setting a dangerous precedent that threatens everyone’s civil liberties”.

Well, when you put it that way! As a nation that operates strictly on the parallels of boundless fear – the notion that our safety net could be compromised by a high-powered executive simply giving an institutionalized branch of the security tree what it needs sounds daunting.

But it’s not any less disturbing or urgent as the notion that if access is denied, the FBI is forced to be at a standstill – which automatically limits how much information can be unearthed and translates into the fact there could be a way to prevent future tragedies of a similar nature – but Apple is blocking the path to that outcome.

None of these scenarios sound appealing and FBI Director, James Comey – is aware of this and his response proves it: “I hope folks will take a deep breath and stop saying the world is ending, but instead use that breath to talk to each other”. “We simply want the chance, with a search warrant, to try to guess the terrorist’s passcode without the phone essentially self-destructing and without it taking a decade to guess correctly. That’s it”. “We don’t want to break anyone’s encryption or set a master key loose on the land”.

The FBI has been attached to the case of the murdering husband and wife team – Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik since Dec. 2. The two gunned down Farook’s co-workers from the San Bernardino County Public Health Department who were gathered at the Inland Regional Center for a holiday event.

It is only reasonable to believe that one of the suspects’ phones could contain pertinent information that can be used to burst the case wide open and give bereaved families some closure and satisfaction.

It has been reported that some family members of the victims are all for the FBI pursuing the attempt to get Apple to unlock the iPhone.

A case this layered is bound to draw strong view points from both sides but the end result hinges on more than egos and bravado but on how much we value our privacy over security.