HACKING APPLE

Hacking Apple
Raymond Merrill
March 02, 2016
State College of Florida: Bradenton Campus

Author Note
This paper was prepared for Written Communications I (ENC 1101), taught by Professor
Bojanowski.

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2
Hacking Apple

Over many generations the need for privacy has slowly increased. Along with the
escalating need for privacy, the means of which information is protected has also developed and
transformed to meet demands. A company that prides its self on providing exceptional privacy to
all of its costumers is Apple. This very company is presently being challenged in court by the
FBI due to its unflinching dedication to customers. An iPhone was recovered that belonged to a
shooter involved in a recent mass shooting in California (Price, 2016). According to the FBI the
iPhone may have information that will lead the FBI to understanding why the shooting happened
(price, 2016. Dredge & Yadron 2016). As said by Apples CEO Tim Cook, The United States
government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of
our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand
(2016). To conclude which of two online articles covered this story more efficiently, this analyst
will work through both stories to determine who reported it best.
Business Insider (2016) is an online news source that covers much more than their name
lets on to. Business Insider is known for covering not only current and up to date worldwide
business related articles but also the latest in things such as politics, technology and health,
though they are not limited to just those. The Guardian or Guardian News (2016) is also known
for its very diverse topics such as art, sports and environment. Guardian News can be found
online and local newspapers.
While reading this article one can expect to find background information explaining the
events leading up to the court battle between the FBI and Apple. The point of view on why the
FBI and Apple are both standing their ground. Further, provides adequate and dependable
information back by qualified professionals. Business Insiders Rob Price starts his article with a

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quick looking into the who, what, where, when and why. FBI investigators are trying to access
data on the phone of one of the two San Bernardino shooters who killed 14 people and injured 22
more in a mass shooting in California (Price, 2016). Following that Price explains the FBIs
problem by stating The device in question, an iPhone 5c, was encrypted using Apple's default
software, meaning no one, including Apple and the FBI, is able to access its data without the
correct passcode (Price, 2016). Therefore, Price has not only stated off by giving very specific
details about the background situation, he also includes what type of device is in questions and
why the FBI cant access it. While Guardian News begins their article with more current
business involved between the FBI and Apples current court situation in an attempt to grab
readers attention with an emotional appeal. Apple has hit back after a US federal magistrate
ordered the company to help the FBI unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters,
with chief executive Tim Cook describing the demand as chilling (Dredge & Yadron 2016).
Also using this opportunity to immediately quote Apples CEO Tim Cook to build legitimacy to
their article. While from the beginning of the article written by Guardian News an individual has
very little idea why this is happening, only that it is happening. Business Insider begins to fill
people in about the beginning from the beginning. Additionally, Business Insider gives more
details of the event while educating readers of the situation.
Moreover, Guardian Newss reporters Dredge, S & Yadron, D and Guardian News
Reporter Price, R do take several direct quotes from Apples CEO Tim Cook such as, Up to this
point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them.
But now the US government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something
we consider too dangerous to create (Tim Cook, 2016). Followed by quotes from the director of
the FBI James Comey who stated, supports backdoors into encrypted products to allow law

HACKING APPLE

enforcement access when required, and there have also been legislative calls to mandate
encryption backdoors (Comey, 2016). Identically both articles do a reputable job at using
supporting quotes from legitimate sources, neither news source or reporter goes above and
beyond the other. Although Business Insider includes a list of companies in support in Apples
decisions. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a civil liberties group, is supporting
Apple. It says it worries that the FBI's demands set a precedent and that if Apple is forced to
create the code, then the code will be used again and again (Price, 2016). EFF deputy executive
director Kurt Opsahl wrote, Essentially, the government is asking Apple to create a master key
so that it can open a single phone. And once that master key is created, we're certain that our
government will ask for it again and again, for other phones, and turn this power against any
software or device that has the audacity to offer strong security (Opsahl, 2016). Along with
these fundamental necessities supporting the articles Business Insider also add in This has,
predictably, infuriated some in law enforcement, who argue that vital evidence is "going dark."
(Note: A recent Harvard study claims that rather than going dark, investigators have more
evidence at their fingertips than ever before.) (Price, 2016). These details included in Prices
article suggest Business Insider again has an obvious advantage for supporting information
within the article compared to Dredge, S & Yadron, Ds article for Guardian News.
Comparatively, after reviewing all information presented by both Dredge, S & Yadron,
Ds article for Guardian News and Price, R article for Business Insider. Though the information
presented by Guardian News was sufficient in getting informing to readers, it does not present
the information in a way that creates a good time line. Dredge, S & Yadron, Ds article for
Guardian News is also missing some supporting information that would have helped solidify the
story. Uniquely, Prices article for Business Insider started with solid background information to

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inform readers about the basically before moving deeper into the story. Price continually showed
more research and qualified support by documenting creditable sources for information. In
conclusion, if a persons preference is a more in-depth article with qualified supporting quotes
and documentation then Prices article for Business Insider would be a better suited article for
that person.

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6
References

Price, R. (2016, Feb) Why the FBI is demanding that Apple hack into an iPhone and why
Apple says it's a terrible idea. Business Insider. Retrieved from:
http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-challenges-fbi-demand-to-hack-into-sanbernadino-shooter-iphone-5c-court-order-2016-2
Dredge, S. & Yadron, D. (2016, Feb) Apple challenges 'chilling' demand to decrypt San
Bernardino shooter's iPhone. The guardian. Retrieved from:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/17/apple-challenges-chilling-demanddecrypt-san-bernadino-iphone