Privacy 1 - 0 National Security.
The FBI's legal run in with Apple over the unlocking of a suspected terrorist's iPhone has punctuated tech headlines in 2016 - pushing phone launches and gadget announcements into the shade as major politicians and businesses weigh in with their thoughts on protecting consumer privacy.
And here's another: the White House has ignored the pleas of the US public to back draft legislation that would result in judges forcing technology companies like Apple to help law enforcement crack encrypted data.
Venture Beat has word from sources close to the Obama administration that discussions of the legislation have ground to a halt due to impassable divisions. While Obama has conceded that there's an importance in law enforcement agencies getting access to information that can protect the wider public, it seems his administration isn't willing to back any law that would give groups like the FBI free reign in strong-arming tech companies to hack devices. Obama has stated that he doesn't want any legal reaction to the case to be "sloppy and rushed".
The draft legislation, which gives federal judges broad authority to order tech companies to help the government without outlining exactly what the tech companies would need to supply, could be introduced for debate as soon as next week.
Expect this one to continue making news long into 2016.
[Via: Venture Beat]
