Friday, February 19, 2016

Moral Ethics of Backdoor iPhone 5C

Backdoor iPhone 5C

The discussion below is entirely hypothetical and is not intended to make or shift people into making decisions, legally or morally, nor create detriment at all.

There has been a huge amount of press regarding the balance between lawful investigation / national security versus Apple's company policy not to backdoor their products precisely for privacy and security reasons. It is laudable stand-off Apple have created because they ask where is the demarcation between full access and privacy and security. I cannot say this is David and Goliath being played out because Apple are far too big to be labelled a minnow (unjustly facing might versus right).

However, are Apple's arguments being raised legal ones or moral ones or both. Is Apple your moral barometer in life? Does Apple think for you and make/take your moral decisions for you? Only you can answer these. Apple appear to have made a good fist of standing by their publicised policy for legal reasons and, in fairness, it is understandable, they could have a fear of being accused of misleading statements to suddenly confirm there was always a backdoor into their product. They have done well and spoken in their statement that they never tried to make one in the first place.

[u][b]Apple's Open Letter[/b][/u]
https://www.apple.com/customer-letter/
"But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone."

The public statement was made following a US Judge's Order:
https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2714001/SB-Shooter-Order-Compelling-Apple-Asst-iPhone.pdf

There is a point at which peoples' morals are woven in the fabric of their country's constitution where those moral become tenets that become doctrines for the society in which they wish to live. These can lead these morals being inextricably linked (not easy to disentangle) in the decision making process where an organisation like Apple might bend and could say for example "Okay, hands up, we have stood by our customers and promises we made to them but a greater good needs our help. If customers wish us to assist law enforcement and national security carefully set down by a strict and specific set of criteria allowing Apple to (firstly) build the access and (secondly) to deploy it, then we need customers' support to loosen are obligations?"  That statement is hypothetical only created for the following question to ask what would criteria do Apple customers morally consider should release Apple to allow access and deployment (backdooring)?

Below is a short list of graduated crimes against society. It is accepted straightaway that some may not figure in your moral domain (but then create one for yourself and see how you feel about it?). Put the list in order so that you create a moral demarcation where you believe Apple could (not should) allow backdooring on a single make/model of smartphone. The stage is now yours, and yours alone, as this is about you and not me, national security, law enforcement or Apple for that matter. Where do you think you feel and stand on this matter.

Place in your order of importance the below and highlight at what stage you would expect Apple to concede and backdoor their device for the greater good?

10....................backdoor device to find a burglary/car thief
9....................backdoor device to find local cannabis supplier
8..................backdoor device to find IIoC photo distributor/procurer
7................backdoor device to find people trafficker
6..............backdoor device to find arms smuggler
5...........backdoor device to find LE or civilian murderer
4.........backdoor device to find agent spreading bacterial warfare
3.......backdoor device to find murderer of national president
2.....backdoor device to find kidnapper of 30 babies from hospital
1...backdoor device to find where nuclear device placed before explodes

Remember more is less and less is more.  

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