Seth Meyers explains why Apple's fight against the FBI is so important
Seth Meyers thinks all this talk about a "backdoor" into encrypted iPhones is pretty funny, and he spent a good deal of Thursday night's Late Night "Closer Look" at the Apple vs. FBI standoff on slightly juvenile "backdoor" jokes. But he also had a serious point to make about the FBI's efforts to force Apple to make a master key to unlock iPhones. The first is that its appears to be a legal stretch: "The FBI is using a 1789 law to get into an iPhone — 1789, a time when people only used BlackBerrys."
Another problem is that the public battle itself isn't very informed, especially among 2016 presidential wannabes. "This is actually one of the problems with this debate — it's very complicated, and it's very clear that some of our politicians don't understand it," Meyers said. He played clips of ill-informed candidates, some saying "backdoor." "We should be skeptical and ask tough questions before we let law enforcement erode our constitutional rights," Meyers said, making his closing argument. "When it comes to privacy, it's always worth keeping an eye on the government, because remember...." Well, you can watch below to hear the final "backdoor" joke. Peter Weber
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
5 hilariously incriminating cartoons about the Epstein filesCartoons Artists take on an Epstein Thanksgiving, solving the puzzle, and more
-
Political cartoons for November 15Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include cowardly congressmen, a Macy's parade monster, and more
-
Massacre in the favela: Rio’s police take on the gangsIn the Spotlight The ‘defence operation’ killed 132 suspected gang members, but could spark ‘more hatred and revenge’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
