What Is Driving The Privacy And Security Focus At Apple

What's driving Apple Inc.'s push for privacy and security for its users? Why is the tech company fighting the U.S. government so strenuously in court? The Techpinions blog explored some interesting reasons and perspectives:

"... balancing security with ease of use... This seemed to be a key phrase and philosophy that is driving Apple’s thinking... Apple is attempting something that seems unprecedented at an industry level. To bring industry leading security but do so by actually enhancing the user experience. Prior to Touch ID for example, many organizations required eight, and sometimes longer, PIN numbers... Apple shared a great statistic: their average users unlocks their phones 80 times a day... 89% of their users with a Touch ID-capable device have set it up and use it..."

That makes total sense. How secure are Apple devices? Consider:

"After sitting through the technical explanations of how Apple has specifically designed the interplay of custom silicon like the A-series processors, iOS, and the Secure Enclave coprocessor, I came to the realization that, while I knew the iPhone was a secure device, I really had no idea just how secure it actually is. It can’t be overstated how essential Apple’s custom designed silicon is to the security of iOS products. For example, in a Mac, running software designed by Apple but using a main CPU and GPU made by Intel/AMD/Nvidia, they have put security measures in place including encrypting the entire storage disk. However, with the custom A-series processors, custom designed secure enclave co-processor, and custom designed iOS, Apple is able to encrypt every single file on your iOS device, not just the entire disk... What I find most interesting about Apple’s story around security is how it goes much deeper than a feature. While security, in this case, could be perceived as a feature, my read on what Apple is doing is going a step beyond simply making security a feature and making it a priority. It is a deep guiding philosophy..."

Kudos to the executives at Apple. Other software developers, hardware manufacturers, law enforcement executives, and makers of Internet of Things (ioT) devices would be wise to take heed and learn. Consumers value their privacy greatly. We're awake and watching.