This week, people stood in lines for hours to get their hands on the latest smartphone, the iPhone 6. The iPhone craze just proves our modern obsession with connectedness. But that connectedness comes at a cost.
How much of the data we enter into our smart phones is really private? It’s really never been clear. Many of the applications on our phones share our data with advertisers, businesses, and even sometimes—the government. Sometimes our phones track our location. We know the risks, but in our age, it’s hardly anyone passes up a smartphone because of security concerns.
That’s why we think smartphone companies made a smart move this month. Both Google Android and Apple announced that they will automatically encrypt data for the first time. This means that data on smartphones will have a larger degree of protection from being shared with others. This includes law enforcement officials, even if they get a search warrant, according to the Washington Post.
This is not the first time Android has offered data encryption, but many security experts say few people knew how to activate this setting. Now, the data encryption will be automatic.
According to the Washington Post, when Apple users update to iOS 8, they will get this new encryption setting. Data shared with the iCloud can still be viewed by law enforcement. A new Android device will come out in October offering the new encryption setting.
While this is great news for privacy advocates everywhere, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s reaction to this news was less than comforting. James Comey, the FBI chief, criticized this announcement. Why? It’s going to be harder to catch terrorists and criminals, according to a report by e Week.
In the name of security, we can’t go through airports without being searched from head to toe. In the name of safety, we must go through metal detector every time we enter a court house. We give up some of our rights to privacy, and we could argue it’s a bad thing. But we see the FBI’s logic behind it. But smart phones are a level beyond. Do we really need so much protection from law enforcement that they need to snoop through data from our personal phones?
Sure, we understand the police’s argument. As the world becomes more digital, crime may become more digital. But it’s sad that in our day of advancing technology, we can’t do anything without fearing we are being watched. Law enforcement’s need to watch our information does not outweigh our right to privacy.
So kudos to smartphone carriers for protecting our security. Let’s keep up this trend. A growth in technology shouldn’t require a trade in security.
