Montevallo Students React to Apple's Potential "Back Door" iOS Software

By Hannah Bell

In a letter recently released to all its customers, Apple explains why it will resist attempts made by the FBI to create an iOS update that would allow access past iPhones’ security features. The FBI is asking Apple to create the update and apply it to the one iPhone they have belonging to Syed Farook, a shooter in the San Bernardino terrorist shooting in December. Apple is concerned that once a software is created with the ability to bypass passwords, anyone with advanced computer knowledge could access private information stored on iPhones.

Students at the University of Montevallo shared similar concerns with Apple. Katherine Nally is concerned that her bank account and Amazon passwords could be accessed. “Certain websites such as Amazon save your credit card information, so once it could get into it, who knows what kind of information it could get that is stored on the phone,” she says.

Christen Oswald checks her bank statements using her iPhone.

Christen Oswald fears that if someone were to break into her phone, her family’s privacy could be at risk. “That’s too much of my personal information,” Oswald says. Her phone not only contains her personal bank information, but information about loans which her parents and siblings cosigned. “All that information is on my phone. I wouldn’t want that to affect everyone else that my information is also connected to.”


Some students do see where the update could be helpful to the FBI’s investigation in the San Bernardino shooting case. Jane Goodman says she thinks Apple customers should have the option to download an application that could bypass certain features. “Obviously someone thinks this is a good idea,” she says. “So if someone thinks it’s a good idea, somebody else thinks it’s a good idea, so I think it should be an option for people who do want it.”