Why Apple’s Stand Against the F.B.I. Hurts Its Own Customers

I disagree with the opinion. Apple had complied with the law and is just in their decision not to compromise their security protocols, nor do I think they should bend to the FBI's whim. The alternate would have repercussions, "Law enforcement agents around the country have already said they have hundreds of iPhones they want Apple to unlock if the FBI wins this case. In the physical world, it would be the equivalent of a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks." http://www.apple.com/customer-letter/answers/ There are already several companies that sell hacks to the highest bidder. http://time.com/2972317/world-war-zero-how-hackers-fight-to-... (sorry for the pay-walled link). The opinion that Apple is compromising its security in the long term due to the FBI's use of a 3rd party hack is not true; in fact that aspect is only news because it is a PR war. It is highly unusual that the FBI made this type of information public. Their hack is likely limited to a specific vulnerability. To the extent Apple has legal ability and technical capability to promote customer privacy, exercising those abilities will continue to be the optimal approach to promoting customer privacy.

This article is by a couple authoritarians extolling the virtues of cowed compliance, if terrorism, based on the argument that Apple's opposition to the order delays fixing the vulnerability. There is no basis for that argument. There is no reason to think the vendor that sold this vuln would have acted responsibly. Rather, it just exposes how ugly and dangerous is the business of stockpiling and selling zero-days. It is like stockpiling infectious disease microbes and auctioning them off. Everyone would agree that a business that enables bidding for bioterrorism materials should get droned off the face of the planet. The same should go for data security.