This is precisely the light in which Apple has tried to cast itself: as a bulwark against government snooping, the gatekeepers for data security.
The FBI plainly picked this fight since it understands that government agencies can always stick their noses into people’s business when they plead terrorism. History tells us we tend to be wettest about personal security when we feel national security is at stake.
So manifestly this case is about far more than just the San Bernardino shootings, the fight against Islamic terrorism or the password systems Apple designs to help you protect your nudey photos and dodgy texts.
Rather, this is a battle in the epic historical war currently waged between governments that wish to reassert their power to intrude upon citizens’ lives in the Communications Revolution, and giant supra-national businesses such as Apple, whose power and cultural influence is already broader and has the potential to become far greater than traditional state powers.
Apple’s show of resistance is all-important if it does not wish to be seen as a giant adjunct of Western governments’ surveillance network. It must continue to raise its middle finger. But equally, the FBI and the US government cannot credibly let Apple resist its will. Irresistible force meets unlockable iPhone — now there’s a snapshot of our times.
