The case I want to select is the United States Department Justice
versus Apple Incorporated. This case concerns the matter of Apple defying a
court order to help the FBI decrypt the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorist
shooters. I realize that the actual
court case has been dropped because the FBI has been able decrypt the phone
with the help of a cyber security company from Israel. Those of us that are
students of criminal justice and cyber security knew that it was a matter of
time before a case like this would come forward. Although the case has been
dropped, the questions and issues of the case are still a matter of debate. The issues at
stake are security, privacy, and ethical quandaries of this kind of case. In ethical
dilemmas such as this, where the answer is not straightforward, one should
consider the impact on all stakeholders and weigh all the possible outcomes and
their probabilities before making a decision.
This current issue is very complex but going beyond the specifics of this case which will be debated for a very long time, the basic ethical issue in this story, is the conflict of two legitimate values: security versus privacy. Both values are essential in a democratic society. Studies have shown that when presented with an either/or situation, people, most likely will opt for security to the detriment of privacy and even to the detriment of freedom. The question then becomes, how far are we willing to sacrifice our privacy for our security or vice versa, how much risk to our security are we will to take in order to protect our privacy?
ReplyDeleteYeah, this one is complex and will start sooner or later again. This is kind of tricky, in the name of privacy, are we going to allow some private companies (basically they are in the market to make some $$$) to decide what is right/ what is wrong or trust the system which we chose to serve us??
ReplyDeletePrivacy over security. To weigh one over the other is complicated. Both sides have legitimate reasons, but I personally will side with security. Privacy is important, but the government already possess numerous ways to peep on us. Adding another way for them to do it in exchange for increased national security is a good trade in my opinion.
ReplyDeletePrivacy and security are both important. Either the nation is secure or the privacy of the citizens is under risk. Its a no-win situation, because without a secure nation, our lives could be put at risk. But without our own privacy, all of our personal information could be used against us by hackers.
ReplyDeletePrivacy and security are both important. Either the nation is secure or the privacy of the citizens is under risk. Its a no-win situation, because without a secure nation, our lives could be put at risk. But without our own privacy, all of our personal information could be used against us by hackers.
ReplyDelete