Ethics Assignment # 3

I am finding hard time to pick up just a particular law or a topic and discuss about breaking that particular law and make morally acceptable for whatsoever reason. That’s why I am taking here more of a general approach about a scenario and will be discussing on that. It might cover partly PATRIOT Act and partly Computer Security Act.

First of all let me start by saying, I am a big time believer in rule of law. I believe laws are there in place after many many discussion and study by the experts on those fields. I am not on those who will break the law for some short term name and fame or try to take advantage of loopholes in the law. I think It will be appropriate to say that I am not a law expert.

Having said that, I also acknowledge the fact that not every law is perfect at all the time. There may be some weaknesses or loop-holes. Some laws might have been written in different context and might not work perfectly in some different context or era. Let’s hypothetically imagine a scenario, we have a majority of single party in the U.S. Congress, and same party will the President. That government forcefully tries to take our civil rights guaranteed by our Constitution for any reason. If they try to take away my voice (free speech right) for no apparent reason, which might force me to break certain laws. However, even when I protest that will be in peaceful manner, no harm will be done to anybody. I won’t jeopardize other people’s rights for my personal right or opinion. By doing so I won’t feel bad because that will be morally acceptable to me. As Crito quotes Socrates saying, “In the matter of just and unjust, fair and foul, good and evil, which are the subjects of our present consultation, … and whom deserting we shall destroy and injure that principle in us which may be assumed to be improved by justice and deteriorated by injustice; is there not such a principle? “

My two cents regarding ongoing Apple and federal government’s feud regarding San Bernardino attacker’s Phone encryption is, victims and the survivors should get justice. One marketing strategy or technological glitch shouldn’t come in between justice and perpetrators. I’m not against privacy by any means but to achieve greater community and national security goal, personal privacy issues could become less of a priority for me; provided that proper procedures are followed. Government and Court should have their last say on people’s faith rather than these big corporations and tech-giants like Apple, because government has responsibility to protect people. In Crito, Socrates accepts the role of government by saying, “Are we right in saying that you agreed to be governed according to us in deed, and not in word only?” If government tries to install backdoor on every iPhone device to undermine privacy and security of people then I might break those law and stand against government (but I don’t think so that is the case here).