In their case against the FBI, an unlikely ally has emerged for Apple. You might remember Blackberry. Just over five years ago, they were the top platform when dealing with privacy and security. It’s safe to say they know a thing or two about encryption, but perhaps not for the right reasons. Tim Cook should be taking some notes.
BLACKBERRY IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL
Once upon a time, millions of users counted on BlackBerry to be their primary communication service, many of them business organizations. This started changing once the company started letting governments access the platform through various means. Sound familiar? Well, it didn’t really work out too well for the Canadian company as they saw user trust plummet into oblivion. Things have gotten so bad for them that they even abandoned their own OS for Google Android. With Apple taking on a similar situation against the FBI, they would be wise to look to the downfall of their mobile comrade as a lesson.
IS APPLE NEXT?
They say history repeats itself but Apple hopes that’s wrong. BlackBerry wasn’t so different than the Cupertino company one day. They were sitting on top of the mobile throne with millions of users all over the world. If you were in business and didn’t have one of their devices, you would be the laughing stock of the water cooler. One of the reasons for its huge success was its messaging platform. The platform allowed users to send and receive encrypted messages that even governments couldn’t access. As one could imagine, this didn’t go over so well. One day, the Saudi’s (leave it to them) demanded access to BlackBerry and its servers. After a little argument, the Saudi’s government won and they are now allowed to keep an eye on messages. With ISIS running rampant, it doesn;t seem like they’re doing a very good job.
ASIA HATES PRIVACY
The trend continued in many other countries that year. One by one, BlackBerry was losing out to various governments in Asia who demanded access to their private services. Now, they are a shell of their former self. Apple needs to examine this if they want to defy historical patterns. The company has a massive global presence. If they let some punks like the FBI in, one by one, more requests will trickle in. Apple will become akin to a public whorehouse and not the good kind.
