So why haven’t I written about the FBI going after Apple?

Well, because I already did. Ten years ago. When I was writing about Real ID.

I admit I didn’t predict it exactly. But I got a lot right.

❝My first problem is the assumption that the details of your life are somehow trumped by national security concerns. This database will track you, everything from the flights you took to the last time you gassed up your car to the fifty pounds of fertilizer you bought last week for your garden. It ALL goes into the data base.

It's easy to see how this can be abused, look no further than the War on Drugs and the tactics used there. At one point, the DEA was going after garden supply stores because the stores weren't providing sales records on people who bought growlights and supplies for indoor gardening. Of course, that old canard about "why worry if you have nothing to hide" was trotted out.

Once the system exists, it can be perverted to any use. If you have done anything questionable, or even if a policeman or agent has a beef with you or something you have done, your records will be flagged and your freedom will be curtailed. It doesn't matter if it is a mistake or if you prove you are innocent. As anyone who has had tangles with the IRS can tell you, it's almost impossible to "clear your name." If you manage to get your record cleared one place, it can trigger "inquires" elsewhere. Just as mistakes with the DEA, INS, and FDA have triggered IRS investigations. Once in the "system," it assumes you are guilty without overwhelming and uncontested proof that you are innocent.❞

The FBI won’t stop at one iPhone.

The FedGovs won’t stop at ten thousand smart phones.

No, the goal is Total Information. Monitoring everything from what you bought at Safeway to your Netflix movies to your messages to the pictures you looked at last week. It will be your Nest thermostat and your smart fridge and the water you used in your shower yesterday. Your phone already reports your location, soon it will listen in to everything you say and do.

There’s a bigger threat. Your privacy is important yes, but government will screw up in a spectactular goof. The chances are pretty good that your life or the life of someone you care for will be destoyed beyond repair.

How do I know this? Because it’s already happened. Several times. Government has no incentive to make sure of the facts.

Who knew that Apple would be fighting for your rights?

Tags: FBI ∙ Apple ∙ Real ID ∙ privacy ∙ iPhone ∙ smart phone ∙ Total Information Awareness