This cartoon by
Chappatte from the
International New York Times refers to the ongoing dispute between Apple and the
FBI over the former's refusal to help the latter break into the iPhone of
San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook.
BACKGROUNDOn February 16th, a federal magistrate in California
approved an order (PDF)
granting the FBI permission to access to the data on the iPhone 5c
belonging to the late terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook, one of two
individuals responsible for a
mass shooting in San Bernadino on Dec. 2, 2015 in which 14 people were killed and many others were injured. Apple CEO Tim Cook
released a letter to customers last week saying the company will appeal the order, citing customer privacy and security concerns.
Read more >>
THE CARTOON
An FBI agent holding a gun in one
hand and an iPhone in the other, tells the phone, "FBI! Open the door,
Siri!". In the background we can see a magistrate.
EXPLANATION
Siri
(short for Speech Interpretation and Recognition Interface) is Apple's
intelligent personal assistant that uses speech recognition software to
understand and carry out commands. The 'It's the FBI! Open the door!'
cliché takes on another meaning here, because the door in question is a
back door
into the iPhone's operating system (a means of access to a computer
program that bypasses security mechanisms). There could also be a play
on Siri/Sir.
ALSO SEE
•
Apple v the FBI - a plain English guide (BBC News)
•
Facebook, Twitter side with Apple in iPhone fight (USA Today)
•
Gates breaks ranks over FBI Apple request (FT)