Privacy & Citizen Rights | Steve Wozniak HPU Innovator in Residence

What are your thoughts on Apple's decision to decline the request of the FBI in unlocking the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone?

There's a wide variety of opinions on Apple versus FBI, and I took Apple's side. I mean, I think like Apple's side, but people who think the other way aren't bad. I'm not saying there's only one way to think. For my own reasons, which go back to a lot of personal liberties that have been an important part of my life, and it also goes back to security of our products. A cybersecurity question was answered earlier. Cybersecurity is one of the most important things in the world to us right now. We hear about breakthroughs and intrusions every day, and power systems might be up to... you know, it's almost worse than nuclear weapons, what people could do when they can interrupt the internet and things like that. It's important. I was a network administrator for ten years, supplying internet through a lot of password-protected devices to all the schools in the city I live in, doing it through wires and through radios. And I'll tell you, I learned to have that these passwords that people have are important enough that if anyone starts typing on a password, I turned my head away. And sometimes I'm around other network administrators that run computer networks, and as soon as someone starts typing a password, they turn their head away. It is something that should be treated with such high regard, you know, and pristine. It's very important. So here's one company: a company makes a product. They say, we've got your back, you know, your private... you know what? We get all your data to advertise to you, but you're probably will maintain your privacy from anybody else getting that data. Apple has made a product. They said, we keep your product safe so that nobody can get it, not even us. And they were truth. They were telling the truth. It really was secure. One company kept their word. But I'm on Apple's side now. Other people will look at it from other points of view and say, terrorism, you know these people are able to hide bad activities. All the criminals of the world, you know, they can hide it any way they want to. They can buy encryption programs and all their communications can be encrypted. In this case with the FBI, I look at it and I say, well, they got all the communications. Verizon turned over all the records of these suspects' phones. Not one communication or contact or SMS message—they got them all from Verizon—not one was to any terrorist organization. So it's kind of a... they're on it. They're on a hill. The FBI's up on a hill, but they should have picked a lot higher hill. Pretty and a pretty low one. That's my opinion. And somebody else thinks the other way, I don't want you to think that I'm going to argue with you or be less of a friend. I understand where you're coming from. Just be reasonable. I was a scientist all my life. I grew up as an engineer, and I knew that I would solve problems and make things work. And sometimes you have to be a little Spock-ish. You have your emotional feelings, and then you can sit down and reason it out. What does reason lead me to as a conclusion to what's right and wrong? It's very easy to see where the emotions are going in this case. But so I side with Apple for good reason. I don't say there might not be some compromises, but keep things secure from those back factors, please. I mean, what if France comes to us and says, you've got to give us a backdoor into every one of your iPhones, even the ones your government officials use? You know, it'd be... it's just not a secure product.