Last Week Tonight host John Oliver tackled Apple and the FBI's duel over encryption as the main segment on his show last night. He played out cases for both sides before siding with Apple and creating a comical ad for the Cupertino company in its signature style explaining why encryption is important.


Oliver starts the segment by explaining what encryption is, what it protects and how it can be hacked before diving into the debate between Apple and the FBI, which centers around San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone. The segment first lays out the case for law enforcement, touching on Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump's proposed Apple boycott, before spending a significant amount of time explaining why creating a backdoor for the government would be a bad idea.

The Last Week Tonight host explains that many critics of Apple's stance on encryption don't seem to understand how modern technology works and that Apple creating a key for this one case is a slippery slope, allowing government officials to approach Apple for other cases. Oliver notes that the encryption debate was waged two decades ago with the Clipper Chip, which allowed for encrypted communication with a backdoor for authorities. The project was abandoned after hacker Matt Blaze figured out how to shut down the authorities' backdoor. "But decades later [authorities] seem to have convinced themselves that it can be done," Oliver said.

Oliver then takes on Apple critics who say the company can figure it out due to its success at innovation, noting they may feel that way about "Apple's magic powers" due to the way the Cupertino company markets it products. He points out that thinking Apple could create a backdoor and then have the ability to police that backdoor is unrealistic, mentioning that the company has had trouble with hackers in the past. Additionally, he says that Apple bending their encryption standards doesn't matter due to the numerous third-party encryption alternatives that exist.

johnoliverapple
The host closes by saying that other countries, like Russia and China, are watching the debate play out, hoping that they, too, would be allowed a similar level of access to devices. Oliver says that the "legal tenuousness" of the FBI's argument, the security risks, the impossibility of Apple enforcing backdoor-equipped encryption, the international fallout and the existence of third-party encryption apps is enough to "sway the most strident opinion." Oliver then closes by showing a comical encryption ad the show made for Apple in the style of the company's iPhone 6s ads.

Last Week Tonight's segment comes the week after the feud between Apple and the FBI stepped up a notch, with the FBI accusing Apple of "deliberately" raising barriers to prevent law enforcement to access data on Apple devices. Apple lawyer Bruce Sewell called the claim an "unsupported, unsubstantiated effort to vilify Apple." On Friday, President Barack Obama cautioned against taking an "absolutist" view on encryption.

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Top Rated Comments

TechGod Avatar
105 months ago
I love John Oliver. He's funny yet at the same time informative.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soupcan Avatar
105 months ago
The way this guy presents it to the people is genius. He takes dead serious topics and makes them enjoyable to watch without getting dull.

And the guy's right too.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djbuddha Avatar
105 months ago
Is there any human way John Oliver could run for president? .. No "lol" I'm dead serious.

(Plot twist, I ask this as a Canadian looking out for America's best interests lol)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BlueParadox Avatar
105 months ago
Any way to watch it in the UK?
There's this (it's a bit cropped but fine to watch):



And the show's funny take of an Apple ad:

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
105 months ago
This is totally awesome. Clearly well researched and covering both sides of the issue. I can imagine a world where 60 minutes would be stories like this. Informative but hilarious at the same time. I would like to live in that world.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
stylinexpat Avatar
105 months ago
What many forget is the hypocrisy or double standard from Obama and America on this issue. Remember last year when China wanted access? Look at what Obama had to say then..

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-china-idUSKBN0LY2H520150302

http://qz.com/356233/apples-capitulation-to-china-undermines-obamas-tough-talk-on-snooping/

And then look at what he has to say today :rolleyes: o_O

http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/obama-issues-a-dire-warning-on-the-future-of-privacy-1316781
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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