Apple is losing the PR war with the FBI

The tech giant’s intensifying standoff with the FBI, over whether to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino man who, along with his wife, is accused of killing 14 people last year, has an unmistakable element of theater. The government, which is investigating hundreds of crimes involving locked iPhones, apparently chose the San Bernardino case as its stalking horse against Apple (AAPL) because it believed the public would be sympathetic to its argument. Apple, normally secretive about its plans and strategies, posted a detailed response to the FBI online. Both sides will have their say in court on March 22.

But public opinion matters too, and Apple may be heading for a setback before it ever gets to the courtroom. Some family members of the San Bernardino massacre victims, for example, are siding with the FBI in asking Apple to unlock the phone. A new poll by Pew Research shows 51% of Americans agree with the FBI on the matter, while just 38% back Apple. Prominent law-enforcement officials, such as New York police commissioner William Bratton, are mounting common-sense arguments for why Apple should give in. Even Donald Trump weighed in, calling for an Apple boycott until it assists the FBI.

The complicated case puts Apple in a position it’s not accustomed to: playing defense. Here’s why: The FBI’s argument is simple and straightforward. Syed Rizwan Farook, who pledged loyalty to the Islamic State terrorist group, was part of a husband-wife team that murdered 14 people at an office party on Dec. 2. Farook’s iPhone might contain information on how the team carried out the plot, and perhaps reveal other terrorists. The FBI needs Apple’s help to see what’s on the phone. Without it, the data will either be deleted or permanently locked away.

If it weren’t an encrypted smartphone, the government’s request would be uncontroversial. As a society, we’ve basically accepted the government’s right to access private information when it’s part of a criminal investigation, or necessary for national security. Law enforcement agents have been searching homes, pulling bank records and tapping phones for a long time. Objections arise when the government seems to exceed its authority, but not when it’s doing what it’s supposed to do.

Apple has decided to tackle the unenviable job of convincing the public that protecting the privacy of terrorists and criminals is somehow in the public interest. Apple might very well be right; there are many instances in which we tolerate problems because the rules required to prevent them would exact a cost we deem too high. That’s basically the argument gun-rights advocates make when they say banning guns would impede Constitutionally guaranteed rights, even if it would lead to a reduction in violence. A less provocative example might be the requirement for a unanimous jury verdict in federal court cases, which lets some crooks off the hook but also safeguards civil liberties.

The problem for Apple is that it’s relying on a nuanced technical argument in an era of blunt-force populism. In his public response explaining Apple’s choice to fight the court order instructing Apple to unlock the iPhone, CEO Tim Cook said, “We have no sympathy for terrorists.” Then he explained how encryption works and why it’s important—drifting way over the heads of most iPhone users--followed by an enlightening passage on the All Writs Act of 1789. His basic conclusion: The feds are asking Apple to “hack our own users.”

Let’s say Cook is right (even though a lot of people feel he’s not). Compare his argument with one made by Bratton in a New York Times op-ed, in which he referenced the case of a 29-year-old Baton Rouge woman who was murdered when she was eight months pregnant. Police think the identity of her killer might be contained on her iPhone, but Apple says it can’t unlock the phone, citing the same reasons it gives in the San Bernardino case.

Which story is more compelling? And how many more stories of crimes hidden on iPhones will surface as law enforcement gangs up on Apple, sensing now is the time to demand cooperation? Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance says his office has 175 locked iPhones seized as part of criminal investigations that it can’t access. That count seems sure to rise as other prosecutors join the fray.

It doesn’t help Apple that all this is occurring as fears of terrorism are hitting the highest levels since 2001, the year of the 9-11 attacks that killed more than 3,000 Americans. With attacks in Paris and Islamic State beheadings online for everyone to see, it’s not a fortuitous time to stick up for the privacy rights of terrorists with iPhones.

Apple has the money, the brand power and possibly the determination to see this case through to the end, if it fights the whole way. The case could end up at the Supreme Court, though that would probably take several years. If it got that far, that would be several years of Apple trying to convince people that the “greater good” principle applies to the cherished iPhone, that the benefit of airtight encryption for ordinary users outweighs the cost of a few missed criminal leads. Apple might win in the courts. Thing is, that’s not where people buy iPhones.

Nevada Entrance Poll Analysis: Trump Rides Wave of Anger to Projected Victory

 A new high in desire for an outsider candidate vaulted Donald Trump to a sweeping victory in the Nevada Republican caucuses, completing a three-contest hat trick for the New York billionaire – first New Hampshire, then South Carolina, now Nevada.

Six in 10 caucus-goers in entrance poll results said they were looking for someone from outside the political establishment, compared with about half in previous contests. And a smashing 71 percent of them voted for Trump, a record for his populist campaign among outsider voters.

Six in 10 also described themselves as angry at the way the federal government is working, compared with four in 10 in the previous three states to hold nominating contests this year. Trump won half of these angry voters in Nevada, slightly more than previously. That said, he also easily won voters who were dissatisfied rather than angry – a sign of his broad strength in the state.

Bolivian President Evo Morales 'loses' fourth term bid'

President Evo Morales of Bolivia has narrowly lost a referendum to allow him to stand for a fourth term in office, exit polls suggest.

One poll suggests 52.3% voted against the proposal to amend the constitution, while another suggests it was 51%.

However, Mr Morales's deputy has predicted Bolivia's first head of state of indigenous origin could still win, as official results trickle in.

The constitution change would have let Mr Morales remain in power until 2025.

Opposition supporters have been celebrating the referendum result in parts of the main city, La Paz.

Mr Morales, an indigenous Aymara and former coca leaf producer, took office in January 2006.

 

Taiwan quake kills at least 11, fells apartment block

A powerful earthquake struck Taiwan early on Saturday killing at least 11 people, most in a 17-storey apartment building that collapsed, with at least five people missing in the ruins of the complex as darkness fell, government officials said.

As rescuers searched for survivors, questions were raised about the construction of the Wei-guan Golden Dragon Building in the southern city of Tainan, with its floors that pancaked down on each other when the 6.4 magnitude tremor hit at around 4 a.m. (2000 GMT), at the start of a Lunar New Year holiday.

Nine of the dead, including a 10-day-old girl, were from the apartment building. The baby was found in her dead father's arms, media reported.

Rescuers mounted hydraulic ladders and a crane to scour the ruins, plucking survivors to safety, with dozens taken to hospital.

An 18-year old man was found alive and conscious shortly after dark, and rescuers were working to get him free, Taiwan television said.

Buildings in nine other locations in the city of 2 million people had collapsed and five were left tilting at alarming angles, a government emergency center said.

But a fire department official said rescue efforts were focused on the apartment block, where a child's clothes fluttered from a first-floor laundry line and the smell of leaking gas hung in the air.

"I was watching TV and after a sudden burst of shaking, I heard a boom. I opened my metal door and saw the building opposite fall down," said a 71-year-old neighbor who gave his name as Chang.

A plumber, he said he fetched some tools and a ladder and prised some window bars open to rescue a woman crying for help.

"She asked me to go back and rescue her husband, child, but I was afraid of a gas explosion so I didn't go in. At the time there were more people calling for help, but my ladder wasn't long enough so there was no way to save them."

The quake was centered 43 km (27 miles) southeast of Tainan, at a depth of 23 km (14 miles), the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Earlier in the day, an elderly woman, wrapped in blankets, was strapped to a board and slowly slid down a ramp to the ground as the cries of those still trapped rang out. Rescuers used dogs and acoustic equipment to pick up signs of life in the rubble.

Authorities said there were 96 apartment units in the Golden Dragon Building and 256 registered residents. Late in the day, city mayor William Lai said 5 people were missing there.

Rescuers clad in red and yellow overalls pulled 250 survivors from the ruins and later inserted huge supports under slabs of leaning concrete to buttress the ruins as they searched for more.

The fire department said 115 people had been taken to hospital from around Tainan.

SEVERAL BUILDINGS DAMAGED

City officials said it was too early to determine if poor construction was a factor in the building's collapse.

Liu Shih-chung, city government deputy secretary general, said television footage of the ruins of the commercial-residential building suggested the possibility of structural problems related to poor-quality reinforced steel and cement.

The construction and engineering companies that built the complex are no longer operating, records showed.

Two neighbors said they had felt nervous about the construction when the building was going up in the early 1990s.

"I looked at it and thought, only people from out of town would buy there. We local people would never dare," said one of the neighbors, Yang Shu-mei.

A major earthquake in central Taiwan in 1999 killed about 2,400 people and caused damage across the island, which lies in the seismically active "Pacific Ring of Fire".

President Ma Ying-jeou visited an emergency center and hospital in Tainan while President-elect Tsai Ing-wen canceled appointments to help coordinate rescue efforts.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office, which is in charge of Beijing's relations with the self-ruled island, said China was willing to provide help if needed, Chinese state news agency Xinhua said. Beijing regards Taiwan as a wayward province.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker and supplier to Apple Inc, said some wafers made in Tainan had been damaged, affecting no more than 1 percent of first-quarter shipments.

Denmark approves controversial migrant assets bill

The Danish parliament has backed a controversial proposal to confiscate asylum seekers' valuables to pay for their upkeep.

Police will be able to seize valuables worth more than 10,000 kroner (1,340 euros; £1,000) from refugees to cover housing and food costs.MPs also approved plans to delay family reunions for asylum seekers.A spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon criticised the decision, saying refugees deserved compassion."People who have suffered tremendously, who have escaped war and conflict, who've literally walked hundreds of kilometres if not more and put their lives at risk by crossing the Mediterranean should be treated with compassion and respect, and within their full rights as refugees," said Stephane Dujarric.The bill has been widely criticised by human rights groups.




The new measures also mean the period migrants will have to wait before applying for relatives to join them will be extended from one year to three - a move aimed at discouraging new arrivals.
Temporary residence permits will be shortened and the conditions for obtaining a permanent permit will be restricted.
Denmark received more than 21,000 asylum seekers in 2015.
MPs approved the measures by 81 votes to 27 following a lengthy, and at times angry, debate. One MP abstained and 70 others were absent. The centre-left opposition Social Democrats and the anti-immigration Danish People's Party both voted in favour.
Martin Henriksen, immigration spokesman for the Danish People's Party, described the numbers of migrants entering Europe as an "exodus".
"More needs to be done. We need more border controls, we need tighter immigration rules," he said.
But Johanne Schmidt-Nielsen, of the opposition left Red-Green Alliance that opposed the bill, said it was "a symbolic move to scare people away".

Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen of the centre-right Venstre party had previously shrugged off criticism of the proposals calling them "the most misunderstood bill in Denmark's history".

US blizzard 2016: Clearing up after huge snowstorm

Millions of people across the eastern US face huge challenges with the working week set to begin, following a massive snowstorm that virtually paralysed many cities.

Public transport will be patchy, many roads are still treacherous and airports remain severely disrupted.

Government buildings in Washington and many schools will be closed on Monday.

Near record snowfall swept from the capital to New York, with at least 29 deaths reported since Friday.

The fatalities were as a result of car accidents, carbon monoxide poisoning and heart attacks suffered while shovelling snow.

2 Israelis indicted in arson that killed Palestinian toddler, parents

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An Israeli court indicted two Israelis on Sunday in connection with 

a deadly arson attack on a Palestinian family last year, the state

 attorney said, according to Israeli radio.

The two Israelis are charged with being part of a terror organization.

In July, attackers hurled Molotov cocktails into the Palestinian 

family's home in the West Bank and set it ablaze.

Ali Saad al-Dawabsheh, who was 18 months old, and his parents

 died in the attack. Ali's brother was severely wounded.

Both Israelis and Palestinians described the attack as act of

 terrorism.




A "price tag" attack is a term used by radical Israeli settlers to 

denote reprisal against Palestinians in response to moves by the 

Israeli government to evacuate illegal West Bank outposts, 

according to officials.

On Sunday, two other Israelis were indicted for other "price tag"

 attacks against Palestinians.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said dozens of people 

were arrested as part of the investigation into the arson attack.

He said the main suspect was connected to several other attacks,

 including the burning of a church in Jerusalem, two attacks in

 another village, the torching of a Palestinian taxi and the arson of 

a storage room in a Palestinian home.

The suspect's lawyer described the indictment as "opening a 

Pandora's box against the Israeli Security Agency."

"There was abuse. There were a lot of things that shouldn't have 

been done in a democratic country," defense lawyer Itamar Ben-

Gvir said. He said his client did not admit guilt to police, and "there

 are still many questions regarding this incident."

The slain toddler's uncle also expressed disappointment, for 

different reasons.

Naser al-Dawabsheh said he did not think justice was being served

 because he believes that many more people were involved in the

 arson attack.


"This is a very sad situation and (sad) day since justice is not being

 used rightfully and in a lawful manner," Dawabsheh said.