Good stuff. We have a Constitution because experience and history shows that our government has a tendency to keep too many secrets and overreach its power and authority.
No, we have a Constitution because Great Britain was ruled by an overreaching, secretive monarch who kept trying to extend his power and authority. At the time of the Constitutional Convention, there was no 'experience and history' of any kind with respect to the United States government.
That's going a bit beyond ordinary pedantry. "Our government" at the time was said monarch and the various governors he installed to run things while messages made their way across the Atlantic. In a broader sense the "our" in "our government" refers not to the people living in what is now the United States of America, but the many generations of humanity stretching back to the beginning of recorded history. That is to say, "our government" is the governors to whom we have subjected ourselves in the past.
If we continue to become a more divided country between Republicans and Democrats, we will seal our own fate. You can tell, people are making their political views more like their religion. Most people I know seem to care more about their political views then their faith in God. The extremist will want to make statements to the other party thus leading to acts of violence. The hatred that is spewed on a nightly basis in the news is festering among the people. Love thy neighbor, doesn't mean except Democrats or Republicans. Do yourself a favor and try to understand the other sides view point before we become the like countries in the Middle East willing to kill each other over Global Warming or Obama Care. This division prevents us from placing any pressure on the FBI or DOJ or anyone else because we are too busy fighting amongst each other. Please begin to have your own beliefs and not your parties. Force yourself to say I don't agree with that. Brain washing prisoners is done by having them listen to the same things over and over. How many times are you being told the same thing over and over that the other guys are the enemy, the beast!
The US has proven that the state is incapable of withstanding corruption.
Apple has proven that doing the right thing is highly profitable.
Cook may yet prove that bullies can be out-manoeuvred.
I really, really hope we win this. Having easily broken into mobile phones was a horrible existence!
Tim: "We’re in this bizarre position where we’re defending the civil liberties of the country against the government. Who would have ever thought this would happen?"
Given America's historic civil right's movement, and especially coming from a gay man of Tim Cook's age, I find this a very surprising statement. Given Snowden's revelations, which Tim mentions, and how that showed what the USA's current surveillance people were up to, such statements seem naïve to me.
Having said that Tim and Apple are being absolutely superb, dignified,precise and clear in what they are doing, and I really hope their legal case wins out, for all our sakes.
Tim: "We’re in this bizarre position where we’re defending the civil liberties of the country against the government. Who would have ever thought this would happen?"
Spoken like a bleeding Lib, who fawns all over government intervention and control UNTIL it comes banging on YOUR door.
assuming you're conservative -- i find it quite odd that conservatives are blind to the government intervention they advocate themselves -- in the bedroom, in the uterus, in the local porn shop, in the secret spy court rooms, and in the boardroom as they throw corporate subsidies and bailouts around. thus as an independent, it seems perfectly clear to me that conservatives are no stranger to big government. only their promoted interests are different.
In the past I criticized Cook for 'wasting time' on social issues: equality, diversity, gay rights.
Well I was wrong. If Cook didn't stand up for those social issues in the past he would look like a fraud standing up for privacy now.
Good job Mr. Cook. I vastly under rated your importance and integrity.
Good point. If you're a leader of such a huge company and ecosystem, you're become part of culture and society, therefore standing up for social issues is part of true leadership.
"The government should always be the one defending civil liberties. And there's a role reversal here," – Tim Cook
If law enforcement could protect the public from identity theft and getting data stolen – personal and public data– then end-to-end encryption would not be necessary. But they can't. So it is.
Bottom-line: Apple is helping us protect our highly personal private data ourselves, because the gov't cannot do it for us.
"The government should always be the one defending civil liberties. And there's a role reversal here," – Tim Cook
If law enforcement could protect the public from identity theft and getting data stolen – personal and public data– then end-to-end encryption would not be necessary. But they can't. So it is.
Bottom-line: Apple is helping us protect our highly personal private data ourselves, because the gov't cannot do it for us.
Before Apple added encryption, iPhone users were getting assaulted by thieves wanting to steal their iPhones. Encryption resulted in much lower rates of assaults on iPhone users. And the police in major states like California and New York applauded Apple's move for consumer safety. California and New York passed laws requiring smartphone companies create similar protections for their users. Android has them turned off when the phone is sold. Unlike Apple's iPhone where encryption is the default and everyone is protected.
It is not about "customers". You ar e taking civilian approach. It is about general security. If FBI can get access then Chinese agencies could do this as well. Someone is blindfolded in FBI and in Justice Dept. or they try to break nqational security for some purpose?
As much as I am for fighting terrorism I do recognize these methods as same as in communist countries (one of them I was born in before immigrating to the USA). Perhaps some should start thinking about wider picture. That is especially important as Apple devices are now used by US military as well.
I hope that due to foolish and irrelevant requests from FBI there will not be ability to intercept control of US military by foreign agencies.
"The government should always be the one defending civil liberties. And there's a role reversal here," – Tim Cook
If law enforcement could protect the public from identity theft and getting data stolen – personal and public data– then end-to-end encryption would not be necessary. But they can't. So it is.
Bottom-line: Apple is helping us protect our highly personal private data ourselves, because the gov't cannot do it for us.
Before Apple added encryption, iPhone users were getting assaulted by thieves wanting to steal their iPhones. Encryption resulted in much lower rates of assaults on iPhone users. And the police in major states like California and New York applauded Apple's move for consumer safety. California and New York passed laws requiring smartphone companies create similar protections for their users. Android has them turned off when the phone is sold. Unlike Apple's iPhone where encryption is the default and everyone is protected.
It wasn't encryption that lowered theft rates. It was the addition of the Activation Lock feature that prevents someone from reselling a stolen iPhone if they don't know the Apple ID/password (which the iPhone will ask for before it allows you to set up/activate). That is, if you have Find My iPhone turned on.
Should be: In latest Time cover story Tim Cook says he's 'offended' by government smears
When I first read it I thought it meant that Time interviewed the government who made smears against Tim when in fact it was Tim who was interviewed by Time Magazine.
Comments
Sorry for anyone I may have offended.
Given America's historic civil right's movement, and especially coming from a gay man of Tim Cook's age, I find this a very surprising statement. Given Snowden's revelations, which Tim mentions, and how that showed what the USA's current surveillance people were up to, such statements seem naïve to me.
Having said that Tim and Apple are being absolutely superb, dignified,precise and clear in what they are doing, and I really hope their legal case wins out, for all our sakes.
"The government should always be the one defending civil liberties. And there's a role reversal here," – Tim Cook
If law enforcement could protect the public from identity theft and getting data stolen – personal and public data– then end-to-end encryption would not be necessary. But they can't. So it is.
Bottom-line: Apple is helping us protect our highly personal private data ourselves, because the gov't cannot do it for us.
Go Apple!
The FBI is simply being EVIL. And Apple must fight EVIL.
Before Apple added encryption, iPhone users were getting assaulted by thieves wanting to steal their iPhones.
Encryption resulted in much lower rates of assaults on iPhone users.
And the police in major states like California and New York applauded Apple's move for consumer safety.
California and New York passed laws requiring smartphone companies create similar protections for their users.
Android has them turned off when the phone is sold. Unlike Apple's iPhone where encryption is the default and everyone is protected.
No kidding, eh?
It wasn't encryption that lowered theft rates. It was the addition of the Activation Lock feature that prevents someone from reselling a stolen iPhone if they don't know the Apple ID/password (which the iPhone will ask for before it allows you to set up/activate). That is, if you have Find My iPhone turned on.