As the FBI sued Apple to force the tech giant to unlock one of the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone, a third party has come forward with a method of hacking into the iPhone’s operating system.
Apple argues the intentional hacking of their iPhone violates the Terms of Use legal document and patent which protects the product from foul play. The lawsuit against the FBI would stop the hacking of the iPhone, which would create a program for criminals and foreign governments to use freely, putting its users at high risk of identity fraud and invasion of privacy.
“It’s against federal law to tamper with the company’s operating system’s source code,” Apple’s lawyer Tom Weinstein told TechCrunch. “We have sued people for ‘jail breaking’ our phones before and will do it again to maintain the integrity of our intellectual property. We usually have the FBI go after kids who break into our phones but, in this case, it’s the FBI who’s breaking the law, so we’ve been put in a tough situation.”
“There is a big difference between giving the government the information from the phone and altering the operating system code. It violates our patent rights and First Amendment Rights in one foul swoop.”
“What if the hackers’ code gets out into the open? Into the hands of the Chinese and Russians? The US Federal government essentially becomes the world’s most dangerous hacker. They think it’s legal, but we know it’s not and sets a very dangerous precedent for future technology.”
“Where does it say in the Constitution that the government’s role is to hack sophisticated computer code? That is not what the framers had in mind.”
The lawsuit will attempt to stop the government from hacking Apple’s products but could be dismissed, allowing the government free reign. Even if Apple should win in the lower courts, the case is certain be sent to the Supreme Court. In light of the recent death of Justice Scalia, a 4 to 4 vote would allow the government to become hackers permanently.
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“Lawsuits against the FBI don’t usually go well,” said Former FBI Director John T. Williams. “Especially when terrorism is involved. It’s not as bad as the communist days with Hoover, but it’s no picnic, believe me. I’ve personally made thousands of people’s lives a living Hell for the fun of it.
“The FBI is going to destroy these Silicon Valley nerds one way or another. No one messes with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Apple must fight for the integrity its products because no one else can. This might be the first of a series of lawsuits if foreign governments continue to try to break into Apple’s operating system’s code.
With hundreds of billions of dollars to spend on attorneys, Apple is one of the few identities that can defend itself.
All we know is privacy will lose, terrorism will continue, and lawyers will make a ton of money.