Privacy is a very interesting topic because it has a very large gray area. What I consider to be private is something that you wouldn't mind being exposed, and vice versa. In this day and age our constitutional privacy rights are being compromised by the NSA in hopes to keep our country safe. The 4th Amendment is what is supposed to protect our privacy rights, but is being violated everyday.
We are told all the time that Snapchat is scanning our faces, Facebook is tracking our location and Instagram is creating maps of our lives. But what about Google? What about our phone calls? Have you ever noticed when you are looking for a new pair of Steve Madden boots and all the sudden you have Steve Madden ads on Facebook and Instagram. Every single one of our clicks is tracked and recorded.
After researching this topic, I kept coming back to the issue between Apple and the FBI. The FBI asked a court to order Apple to create a different iOS that would make information more easily accessible for them. Apple objected this order. Apple created a highly secure iOS because they know how much secure information carry in their devices. People carry their wallets, personal pictures, and basically their livelihood on those devices. Apple found it to be wrong to intentionally weaken this security system. If Apple did agree to this order, it would give the government more power and they were unsure where that would take us.
Of course Apple had the means to build this iOS. The FBI requested that it be built only once, but in this world that we live in now, once it is created once, there are no limits to how many more times it can be duplicated. Apple is frequently asked to unlock iPhones for law enforcement and have not because it is against the law. Apple is cooperating with law enforcement as much as they can without violating rights and breaking the law.
It is vital in this day and age to keep ourselves as safe as possible. If we really knew how much of our lives are tracked, it would be scary. We are constantly watched and our lives are being monitored. Our location through our bank accounts, our license plates are pictured and our phone activity is wired. It is important to be smart and aware of our surroundings.
I did not know about the FBI requesting this of Apple. I think Apple's refusal to violate privacy laws is very noble. I doubt many cooperations say no to FBI requests, which makes this situation all the more interesting. I also think it's important for everyone to protect their Fourth Amendment right, however, I don't believe a great deal of people are even aware that their rights are being broken. I agree that there is a large gray area when it comes to privacy, making this a difficult but necessary topic to discuss.
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