National Debate Weighing Privacy vs. Security 'Must Continue,' Shapiro Says
The DOJ’s decision Monday to abandon its lawsuit to compel Apple to create security-defeating software for the iPhone (see 1603280054) was “a preferable outcome to a wide-reaching court decision,” CTA President Gary Shapiro said Tuesday in a statement. Americans “want…
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every tool in the fight against terrorism, but we also want our privacy and many in the technology and national security industry world believe that secure devices are an important weapon against terrorism,” Shapiro said. Tech companies “will help fight the battle against terrorism through innovation,” he said. “They will develop predictive analytics combined with sensing devices that smell explosives, measure biometrics including voice, facial and other indicators of emotion or intent. They will create new tools, applications and measures which keep us all safe." But what tech firms "are reluctant to do" is allow government "to have unfettered tools" that are easily "obtainable by bad actors" to crack "the most private of interactions" conducted on consumers' devices, Shapiro said. Shapiro buys into the argument (see 1603290059) that DOJ’s withdrawal of the suit against Apple doesn’t resolve the larger questions on privacy vs. security, he said. “The national discussion on the balance between privacy and security can and must continue,” Shapiro said. “We look forward to working with law enforcement, Congress and our members to discuss the appropriate tradeoffs in this critical balance."