Apple, the FBI and Internet Security
As tech companies rally to support Apple, experts debate the role of security “back doors” and how to balance privacy concerns with national security.
Contact: Andrew Good at (213) 740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu; Robert Perkins at (213) 220-0017 or perkinsr@usc.edu.
“The Court is ordering Apple to write brand new code to bypass key features of iPhone security which serve to protect everyone that uses an iPhone — an unprecedented interpretation of the law. Is privacy a requirement of liberty? How do we ensure privacy and national security? These are the issues at stake and they merit a broader discussion.”
Valerie Barreiro is director of the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic at the USC Gould School of Law. She is an expert in intellectual property law, privacy concerns and media law. She can discuss the legal ramifications of Apple resisting a court order for backdoor access to iPhones.
Contact: (213) 740-7613 or vbarreiro@law.usc.edu.
“Apple claims that the order asks them to create ‘backdoor access’ to iPhones, but that characterization is not quite right. If the technical means exist to allow bypass to the erasure after 10 failed attempts, then the backdoor already exists, and perhaps Apple can access the data even if they have not yet created the software to exploit the backdoor. The order is not forcing them to create a back door, but to assist in its use if one, in fact, exists.”
Clifford Neuman is director of the USC Center for Computer Systems Security at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. He can discuss security measures used in the iPhone as well as the struggle between individual privacy and security concerns.
Contact: (310) 448-8736 or bcn@isi.edu.
