So let me just put this out there. We do not want Apple to do what the government is asking them to do. In doing so they would set a precedent which would allow for all security to be weakened. weakened security, no matter the initial intentions is still weak, and if the wrong person or people get their hands on them then you/we are pretty much screwed.
Think of it this way, say your home has set of locks, every day when you leave you lock the doors. However just to be safe, you put a key under the doormat. Now you don’t advertise that the key is there, and only immediate family members know about it. However the fact remains that the key exists, and at any time someone could come along find the key and use it to get into your house and do whatever they like while there inside. It’s an inherit weak spot, regardless of the fact that you only meant for that key to be used by immediate family members in an emergency.
Once a key exists there is no guarantee that only the right people will always have it. I’m no Apple fan and I will probably never own any kind of “i” device, that said I absolutely agree with the stance they are taking on this case. As American Citizens we have a right to privacy, and it seems like recently our government entities would love nothing more than to take away that right under the guise of protecting us from terror.
Once a vulnerability exists, it’s out there, and if the wrong person/persons discover how to access it, they will use it and it won’t be with anybodies best interest in mind. Weak security is exactly how hacks happen. Target, Home Depot, J.P. Morgan Chase, the i.r.s., they were all compromised because of a weak spot somewhere in the security system that was being used. None of these companies advertised their weak spots, and yet some how some one found the weak spot and exploited it.
If Apple should be compelled to comply, then it would be a very slippery slope, and one I really hope we don’t end up tumbling down.