The Obama administration argued on Thursday that “no single corporation” — even one as successful as Apple — should be allowed to flout the rule of law by refusing to cooperate with law enforcement.
In a filing in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the Justice Department said Apple should be compelled to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by a gunman in the San Bernardino mass shooting last year.
The company should not be allowed to hide behind what prosecutors said were diversionary tactics in the court of public opinion, the filing said.
Apple and its supporters “try to alarm” the court by invoking bigger debates over privacy and national security, the Justice Department said.
The government’s filing was a point-by-point rebuttal of a motion that Apple filed two weeks ago opposing a federal court order requiring it to break into the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the San Bernardino attackers.
Apple had argued that the court order violated the company’s First and Fifth Amendment rights, and said the government’s request oversteps the All Writs Act.
In the filing Thursday, prosecutors argued that they have sought a “modest” step in the case and that the courts, the executive branch and Congress share the power to decide how best to balance between public safety and privacy.
The federal government is proposing privacy rules that would make Internet service providers such as cable and phone companies ask your permission in some instances before using and sharing your data.
Using customer information could help ISPs make more money from targeted digital advertising, when advertisers are able to show you ads that they think will appeal to your specific interests.
The Federal Communications Commission’s rules are likely to face criticism and possible lawsuits from Internet service providers.
[...] the aim is that in many, if not most, cases, your Internet provider would have to get your permission before sharing your personal data with advertisers.
The agency says you would only have to opt out, a less stringent requirement, if you were a customer of Verizon Fios, for example, and Verizon wanted to market Verizon Wireless services to you.
[...] Verizon also owns a big digital ad business in AOL — if it wants to share data it collects from you with AOL, it needs your permission.
“It’s a major step forward for the U.S., which has lagged behind other countries when it comes to protecting consumer privacy rights,” said Jeff Chester, executive director of the Center for Digital Democracy, in a statement.
The FCC loudly denounces certain privacy and business practices that sound bad, despite having little or no evidence that they don’t offer any consumer benefits that should be weighed against potential harms.
Health officials in nine states were investigating 11 cases of salmonella linked to pistachios from Wonderful Pistachios in Kern County.
The recalled pistachios can be identified by a lot code number on the lower back or bottom panel of the package.
