So many people are boasting about the newest Apple iPhone in their back pocket. It comes as no surprise that in late January, the electronics company announced their record-breaking first quarter profit totaling upwards of $18 billion. However, they are popping up in the news more recently for their strong stance on data security.

Since its conception in the late 1970’s, Apple has been known for innovative ideas balanced with simplistic product designs. Their creations range from Macs and Macbooks to iPads and iPhones.

However, the tech giant is becoming known for more than their electronics. They have emphasized their care for their customers and social freedoms through their strong – borderline rebellious – stand toward the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) demands. One iPhone, recovered through the San Bernardino terrorist attack case, brought a heated debate on the topic of technological privacy.

The bureau asked Apple to create a ‘backdoor’ into their iPhones via a rebuilt operating system to aid the investigation into the attacks of last December. This request threatens the idea of personal and data safety.

So much of people’s data is stored on cell phones nowadays that providing an easy way in is simply ridiculous – and dangerous.

A letter to customers, penned by Apple’s chief executive officer Tim Cook, said the software “would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession,” going on to say it “would be wrong for the government to force [them] to build a backdoor.”

This letter immediately brought protests against the FBI, with security and privacy concerns running rampant in the public’s complaints. Many believed the agency had not yet used all other possible options.

Cook’s opposition on this dangerous precedent was that “the government could extend this breach of privacy” by asking Apple to break security protocol repeatedly in the future.

This backdoor break-in would allow the FBI an easy way in. They would be forcing a company to go back on their customer agreements of privacy and essentially hack open a phone they designed to keep information private.

The day before the massive legal battle, the FBI announced that they had accessed the phone with help from a third party. This essentially ended the battle, but brought a completely different argument to the table: whether the FBI should be required to reveal Apple’s software weakness.

This weakness in the software is an obvious safety concern, and Apple should be able to mend the issue to protect the privacy of their customers. Any company should be given the opportunity to fix something that is broken; however, if the FBI is not willing to share this information so that they can use it in later investigations, Apple will have to search for the weakness themselves to protect all iPhone users.

It is a commonly held belief that Big Brother is always watching, but that doesn’t mean we should unlock every door and provide open access to every device for him.