Snowden, the
most important whistleblower on these technical issues has unequivocally
declared that the government's claims are false. They don't need Apple to
develop anti-encryption software in order to access the iPhone. If anyone would
know, it's Edward Snowden.
This tells
us what the government is really after and what these debates are really about.
The fearmongering and manipulation of the public are a means to an end. The
government demands unrestricted access
to all information. The government has declared the Bill of Rights a concept
dead and all but buried. The implementation of the new societal paradigm and
its citizen expectations is just a matter of time, or one attack away.
All that's
left is the first amendment and that is rapidly eroding.
Why isn't
the media reporting this? There's some international coverage but among US
media outlets this story has barely been mentioned. Only a few have given it
little more than a passing mention. I've noticed one or two have tried to bury
it in the 'tech' section. This should be a major headline.
Is the
pro-government, pro-FBI position on this point a 'liberal' one? I think not.
The media is misunderstood, especially by the Right and most egregiously by the
Nativist faction.
A final
note. I do not in any way wish to 'defend' Apple. I think they are a deeply
immoral and socially subversive company. I have all but despised their founder,
products and 'culture' since the 1980s when I got my first Apple II. I loathe
their merchandise, style and the message they promote.
I think
they're also hypocritical in how they
are presenting their case to the public. They have been happy collaborators in
the past as many have pointed out. If there has been a warrant and the matter
concerned unencrypted data, Apple has been happy to assist the authorities. Of
course the key difference is with regard to the present case. The government is
demanding that Apple create a means
to access. That's new territory, a new frontier in expectation that's beyond
precedent.
For Apple, a
change of heart can be a good thing but you need to be candid about the past.
Here are a
couple of decent links to the Snowden story:
Of course
it's rather ironic that Apple who ran the famous 1984 ad in the end created the
device (the modern Smartphone) that more than anything has helped to bring us
to that very point. Computers were supposed to liberate us from the prospect of
the Orwellian nightmare. Instead they've made it a reality.
On January 24th, Apple Computer will
introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like “1984.”
But 2016 is
starting to look like it.
*I remember
watching that Superbowl. At the time I was so happy that the Raiders won... but
so annoyed that Barry Manilow sang the national anthem!
