"War is the health of the state"

Photo: Josh Edelson, AFP / Getty Images

From a Feb. 17 Chronicle editorial:

...Apple says it has provided the FBI with assistance from its engineers and has given it ideas on how to investigate the data it doesn’t currently have. But it doesn’t want to set a precedent for violating its consumers’ safety.

“We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack,” wrote Apple’s chief executive officer, Tim Cook, in an open letter to customers on Tuesday.

There isn’t, and there shouldn’t be.

Rob's comment:

High-minded stuff and it isn't wrong. But what about the terrorism risk to both Apple's customers and the rest of us? A prediction: the high-minded stuff about privacy and protecting your customers won't survive the next terror attack in the country. As a great American once said, "War is the health of the state." 

As these attacks continue---and they will---the government will increasingly infringe on the previously protected rights of individuals and businesses.