Obama makes case for access to device data
Sidestepping Apple dispute, Obama makes case for access
to device data
By Jeff Mason March 11, 2016
AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on
Friday made a passionate case for mobile devices to be built in such a way as
to allow government to gain access to personal data if needed to prevent a
terrorist attack or enforce tax laws.
Speaking at the South by Southwest festival in Texas,
Obama said he could not comment on the legal case in which the FBI is trying to
force Apple Inc. to allow access to an iPhone linked to San Bernardino,
California, shooter Rizwan Farook.
But he made clear that, despite his commitment to
Americans' privacy and civil liberties, a balance was needed to allow some
intrusion when needed.
"The question we now have to ask is: If
technologically it is possible to make an impenetrable device or system where
the encryption is so strong that there is no key, there's no door at all, then
how do we apprehend the child pornographer, how do we solve or disrupt a
terrorist plot?" he said.
"What mechanisms do we have available to even do
simple things like tax enforcement because if in fact you can't crack that at
all, government can't get in, then everybody is walking around with a Swiss
bank account in their pocket."
The Justice Department has sought to frame the Apple case
as one not about undermining encryption. A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
court order issued to Apple targets a non-encryption barrier on one iPhone.
The FBI says Farook and his wife were inspired by
Islamist militants when they shot and killed 14 people on Dec. 2 at a holiday
party in California. The couple later died in a shootout with police.
"Setting aside the specific case between the FBI and
Apple, ... we’re going to have to make some decisions about how do we balance
these respective risks," Obama said.
"My conclusion so far is you cannot take an
absolutist view."
Obama was speaking at the South by Southwest festival in
Austin about how government and technology companies can work together to solve
problems including making it easier for people to vote.
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