Law Enforcement Do Not Like Smartphones
December 26, 2017
Smartphones and privacy concerns are always hot topics after mass shootings and terroristic acts. The killers and terrorists always use their smartphones to communicate with allies, buy supplies, and even publicize their actions. Thanks to these criminals, law enforcement officials want tech companies to build backdoors into phones so they can always can the information. The remainder of the public does not like this. One apple spoils the entire batch. KPTV explains why smartphones are a problem in “Why Smartphones Are Giving Police Fits.”
After the recent mass shooting in Texas, police were unable to hack into the killer’s phone because of all the privacy software in place. Law enforcement do not like this because they are unable to retrieve data from suspects’ phones. Software developers insist that the encryption software is necessary for digital privacy, but police do not like that. It holds up their investigations.
…it could take specialists weeks to unlock the phone and access material that may reveal the killer’s motive and other information.
The FBI’s first option is likely to pressure the device-maker to help access the phone, but if that won’t work they could try breaking into it. Sometimes “brute force” attacks aimed at methodically guessing a user’s passcode can open a device, though that won’t work with all phones.
Arora said the difficulty of breaking into the phone would depend on numerous factors, including the strength of the gunman’s passcode and the make and model of the phone. Police may have more options if it’s an Android phone, since security practices can vary across different manufacturers.
The tech companies, though, are out to protect the average person, especially after the Edward Snowden incident. The worry is that if all smartphones have a backdoor, then it will be used for more harm than good. It establishes a dangerous precedent.
Law enforcement, however, needs to do their jobs. This is similar to how the Internet is viewed. It is a revolutionary tool, but a few bad apples using it for sex trafficking, selling illegal goods, and child porn ruins it for the rest of us.
Whitney Grace, December 26, 2017
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