In the wake of the San Bernardino shooting, and the subsequent investigation that followed, Apple was asked to help with one of the shooter’s phones. The phone was locked, with the passcode unknown, so the government demanded that Apple unlock the phone and its contents. In order to do this, Apple would need to create a key that would bypass iPhone security, especially the feature that would cause all data to be erased after a failed tenth try to unlock the iPhone with the wrong passcode. Apple argues against this, saying that the government wants them to create software that doesn’t exist, and that this kind of technology could, in the wrong hands, lead to incredibly easy hacking of its own devices. The FBI shot back, saying that they weren’t asking for keys to all the iPhones, just the one.

For what it’s worth, I stand with Apple for a number of reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I hope Apple is able to help in any way they can as long as it doesn’t threaten the privacy of every American that has an iPhone, iPod, Mac, or iPad. I’m sure that anyone with a brain can respect that sentiment. But this measure scares me. The government wants unrestricted access to personal information.

I can hear it now. “The phone belonged to a mass murderer, clearly we can do this and not feel bad.” Actually, what scares me more than anything is the precedent this sets. We start here. What if we look through someone’s phone for an armed robbery? After that, we continue going down the list of crimes. Where do we stop? The fact that our personal information is at stake in this ruling is incredibly important. I believe that we are all entitled to our privacy, and that we should be able to keep our inner lives private. No matter who you are, all humans have a right to a private life. In this age of whistleblowers and rapidly advancing technology, the issues all boil together. What we do, who we meet. It all comes together.

Google, Facebook, and Twitter are all casting their lot with Apple on this one. Apple was ordered by the court to help the FBI, and Apple appealed the decision. We’ll have to wait and see about the outcome, and the consideration of the appeal may end by the time this gets published. However, I will reiterate what I said before; I stand with Apple. A person’s privacy is, I believe, one of the most important things that we have, and we can’t have that right violated, nor can we set precedence for violation. I support Apple, and I hope this works out in our best interests.