Seth Meyers explains why Apple's fight against the FBI is so important

Seth Meyers looks at the FBI vs. Apple fight
(Image credit: Late Night)

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

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Peter Weber, The Week US

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.