Posted on 02/18/2016 8:40:13 PM PST by DBG8489
The more highly technical the basis of a story, the more likely it is that some key detail will get jacked up by a journalist trying to translate it for the public. Call it Panzer's Law.
It's only natural, especially when it comes to stories about security and privacy, like the FBI vs. Apple. There are a myriad of complex technical mechanics at play, fiercely difficult Gordian Knots of encryption and hardware solutions to unravel and a number of previous interactions between Apple and the government that have set one precedent or another.
But no matter how hard it is, it's important to get this stuff right. The press has the ability not only to act as a translator but also as an obfuscator. If they get it and they're able to deliver that information clearly and with proper perspective, the conversation is elevated, the public is informed and sometimes it even alters the course of policy making for the better.
When it comes to the court order from the FBI to Apple, compelling it to help it crack a passcode, there is one important distinction that I've been seeing conflated.
(Excerpt) Read more at techcrunch.com ...
There is a really good discussion about the FBI request to Apple on Twit.tv with Leo LaPorte, “The Tech Guy” and Steve Gibson from “Security Now” (he joins the discussion in the middle of the show).
It is on the Twit.TV show “This Week in Google”. You can watch it by streaming the video, or downloading the video or audio (for free) at this URL.
https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-google/episodes/340?autostart=false
So we keep every foreign terrorist out and we don’t need searches. I see
Let's think about that for a while. Now, you know how badly the press is reporting on these issues because you have a lot of familiarity with it. What about those subjects that you don't have a great deal of familiarity with? Why would one believe the press would do any better in these other areas?
Something I've noticed about folk I've dealt with over my life is that just about everyone has at least one subject that they are fairly knowledgeable about.. It doesn't seem to matter how ignorant they may be about the vast majority of topics, but there is pretty much always something they know pretty well.
I've noticed that when you ask people how accurately the press portrays this subject, the answer is almost uniformly negative. The press is almost always wrong, or at least horribly misleading.
For some folk, when I talk to them about this, you can almost see the light bulb over their heads as they begin to comprehend the implications...
I agree with what you said regarding law enforcement and warrants.
However, a warrant gives the government nothing more than the authority to search a particular place for a particular thing.
It does *not* say that they may force a third party has to provide them the *means* to search that place - even if the third party built it.
Trust me - I get it.
I’ve worn many hats in my life and had ample opportunity to see the press get it wrong about MANY of the things I was involved in.
Which is why I believe, and tell my kids to believe, nothing they read anywhere. Do your own research and hope you land in the proximity of the truth.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.