The war against privacy violations, that has been going on for a while now, had taken a serious turn last week when James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), issued a public statement berating new encryption technologies adopted by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL). Apple and Google have promised users that the newly implemented encryption methods will keep safeguard personal data stored on their mobile devices.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) noted that the encryption made it technically impossible for it to access information from its devices without knowing the user’s passcode. This effectively rendered the company helpless even if presented with a legal warrant to recover data from its device. The case against Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)’s Android was also in similar lines.
Greater good trumps need for privacy
While the image of the government stalking its citizens through their digital footprint is quite disturbing, higher-ups argue that the so-called invasion of privacy is for the greater good. Former FBI chief Ronald Hosko stated that while most investigations do not depend entirely on information from a smart device, holding all pieces of the is necessary to solve it.
What Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) are selling can be termed as electronic closets which cannot be pried open without the consent of the owner, even if the prying is legally valid.
FBI making a mountain out of a molehill
Mike Janke, chief of the fully encrypted ‘Blackphone’ manufacturer Silent Firm, was of the opinion that the hue and cry over the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) encryption techniques is uncalled for as the government can still make use of voice tap of network carriers or location tracking of mobile devices. He questioned if it was wise to destroy the privacy of an entire population just to track a couple of malicious entities.
