Computers And The Modern Society - 1524 Words

Say No to Decryption Smartphones, such as iPhone, Samsung, and Blackberry, have become an indispensable part of everyone’s life. Individuals use the phone to store their private information, from photos to contacts, conversations, schedules, emails, bank accounts, and heath record, even where we are going and who we are talking. All this information has to be protected from decryption and unauthorized use by hackers, cyber criminals, and even the government. Recently, data decryption becomes a certain issue faced by the technology companies, users, and the government after two killers attacked at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California on December 2, 2015. The shooting did not only take the life of 14 innocent people but†¦show more content†¦Building a backdoor to a phone is an unprecedented step that takes everyone’s safety at risk because it empowers government, as well as hackers and cyber criminals, to capture users’ private data. Weakening encryption wi ll cause a series of issues on the security of devices. Sophia Cope, an attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, claims that â€Å"if Apple creates unlocking technology, its development would be like opening Pandora’s Box.† It means that not only would the killer’s phone be decrypted, but also all the phones would be at risk to be decrypted. The government is more likely to ask Apple to craft a master key that could be used to open not only one door but every door. With this master key, the government could pass through all the devices and access everyone’s message, phone calls, emails, location, social network accounts, bank account, or even camera or microphone without the subject’s consent. In facts, not only the government but also the hackers and cyber criminals could access this information. They rely on the loophole to crack any devices for identity theft and various kinds of crime. Compliance with the FBI’s order to create a g ateway for one device is putting the risk of millions of people’s private data accessible by those who have technological knowledge, including the government, sophisticated hackers, and cybercriminals.