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Opinion
by Murrel Bland
Tim Cook, the boss at Apple, has made headlines in the past few days in opposing a federal court order that wants private information from an iPhone that was owned by San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. Cook has an ally in U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-3rd Dist.
The congressman expressed his views on the Apple controversy and other issues Friday, Feb. 19, at a meeting of the Congressional Forum at the Reardon Convention Center, Kansas City, Kan.
Cook, in a letter made public recently, said that privacy was fundamental to all of Apple’s products. On the other side of the issue, Eileen Decker, a U.S. attorney for Central California, said, “We will leave no stone unturned as we gather as much information and evidence possible. These victims and families deserve nothing less.”
Cook’s stand has set off a debate of security versus privacy. Cook said that Apple has never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of its products or services.
The federal court in Riverside, Calif., has given Apple an order to disable the feature that wipes the data from the phone by Friday, Feb. 26. That way the federal government could attempt to crack the code using millions of combinations.
The congressman said he was concerned about the creation of a “backdoor” with such devices that not only would violate an individual’s privacy concerns, but also could make information open to foreign enemies.
The congressman said he voted for the recent appropriations bill, which provide increased funding for the National Institute of Health. This is particularly important so research can move ahead on Alzheimer’s disease, the congressman said. He said it is estimated that unless a cure can be found for Alzheimer’s, it could cost more than $1 trillion to care for such patients by 2050.
Rep. Yoder said it will be important to do two things to help the private sector to grow—reduce regulation and cut the federal debt. He cited the recent U.S. Supreme Court victory for ratepayers of utilities. The 5-4 ruling blocks the Environmental Protection Agency in its effort to combat global warming by regulating coal-fired-plants.
The congressman was asked who he might consider a suitable successor to Associate Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia who died recently while on a hunting trip in Texas.
The congressman said the person appointed should be someone who has conservative values and has a narrow interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.