Apple is refusing to create a program that will allow the FBI to break into the work-issued iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, and many politicians are predictably on the FBI's side, John Oliver noted on Sunday's Last Week Tonight. "This is a rare case where Donald Trump's outrage is almost understandable, because Apple's refusal to help crack a terrorist's phone can seem hard to defend," especially if you look at it simplistically," he said. "But this is not simple — it's a hugely complicated story with massive implications, and once we get to the end of it, you may not feel the same way you do now." Challenge, issued.
The first problem is that, contrary to what the FBI and its allies claim, Apple wouldn't be creating a one-time key for Farook's phone. "Think of the government as your dad," Oliver said. "If he asks you to help him with his iPhone, be careful. Because if you do it once, you're going to be doing it 14 times a day." Whatever happens in this encryption fight "will have ramifications" and, if the FBI wins, "unintended consequences," he said, starting with this: "Many countries around the world, including Russia and China, are watching this debate, and will presumably expect similar access — because, as you know, Russia and China have as much respect for privacy as horny teenagers in '80s comedies."
Subscribe to 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.
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2025Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - free trade, judicial pushback, and more
-
5 educational cartoons about the Harvard pushbackCartoons Artists take on academic freedom, institutional resistance, and more
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipeThe Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loomSpeed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panelsSpeed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of businessSpeed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pausesSpeed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocksSpeed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor dealSpeed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US SteelSpeed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons mergerSpeed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
