Last year’s hot-button topic on whether Apple should unlock a terrorist’s iPhone for the FBI is still in the news. As you may recall, a private company did unlock the iphone, without Apple’s blessing. Now, several news organizations want to find out how it was done.
AP, other media sue FBI for details on iPhone hacking tool
Do you remember our 2015 debate topic “All U.S. citizens (over the age of 18) should be required to vote?” Well, here is a news tidbit about the number of Americans who do actually vote.
This video from the National Archives explains what the process entails and why it is used.
The final topic of the year states that “the president of the United States should be elected by popular vote,” as opposed to electoral vote. This chart compares both types of voting procedures.
The New York Times has broken down our Round 3 debate into nice chunks:
What does the government want? The F.B.I. has been trying to force Apple to help investigators gain access to an iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook in the December mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. Bureau officials say that encrypted data in Mr. Farook’s phone and its GPS system may hold vital clues about where he and his wife…traveled in the 18 minutes after the shootings, and about whom they might have contacted beforehand. It sounds like a simple problem but the solution would be complex. The password mechanism built into the phone will erase the phone’s data after 10 incorrect password attempts….
And on the other side?
Why is Apple resisting? The company has fought a federal court order requiring it to provide access to the F.B.I., on the grounds that it violates its right to due process. Apple has said that forcing it to write new software violates its First Amendment right…. Courts have ruled in the past that writing code is a form of free speech. Providing help to break into this one iPhone, Apple has also argued, could create a permanent way to bypass iPhone password protection for law enforcement officials or even the spy agencies of other countries….
And the bottom line:
Why does the dispute matter? Simply put, the government contends that cooperation in cases like this could help prevent terrorist attacks against Americans. Privacy advocates and Apple supporters say they worry that if the F.B.I. succeeds in getting access to the software overriding Apple’s encryption, it would create easy access for the government in many future investigations…. But cooperating with the government now could quickly lead to murkier situations internationally, especially in China, where officials have been pushing for greater control over the encryption and security of technology sold there. China has become Apple’s second-largest market after the United States….Saying yes to the United States government could make it hard for Apple to later say no to China, and saying no could significantly affect the company’s bottom line.
A website for students learning English — newsinlevels.com — has done a fine job of explaining the Round 3 debate topic in three reading levels, and even includes leveled videos!
Level 3 (which includes ABC New’s original video interview of Apple CEO Tim Cook.)
Our debate topic is really heating up in the news. Here are two more articles, one on President Obama’s stance from The New York Times, and one from NPR which contains a primary source document from the Apple case.
And if you missed it, John Oliver’s main segment last week was also about the encryption topic.
We’ve heard what many people have to say on this topic, now we are ready to hear from the teams. Round 3 begins next week…. let’s go!
Wow, there have been a lot of articles about our current debate topic flying around the internet lately.
Here is an article from USA Today titled Justice Department: Apple Obligated to Assist FBI and another from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) that takes a strong position on one side (guess which one). Other articles have appeared in major news outlets such as the New York Times and more.
Also, the National Speech and Debate Association’s current topic is very closely related to ours. It is, Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially curtail its domestic surveillance.
You can find resources on their website as well as on the Urbandebate.org site (Scroll down for downloads under Surveillance Topic Core Files). There are tons of resources out there to help with your research. Choose wisely, and good luck!
Apple Inc. has written a letter that explains why they are refusing to unlock the iPhone. Read the letter here.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates many types of crime. Where do you think the Apple iPhone investigation belongs in the list?
A timeline created by the Federal Bureau of Investigation tells of important events in its crime-fighting history.
An article by Worldbook Online for Kids discusses the history of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as its most famous boss, J. Edgar Hoover.
Use your school’s account information to log in, or email Cara.
(image from Worldbook Online)
You may be aware that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is demanding that Apple Inc. help them open a criminal’s iPhone. But just who or what is the FBI? According to Worldbook Online,
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the primary investigating branch of the United States Department of Justice. The FBI investigates a variety of crimes that deal with the safety and security of the United States and its citizens. The FBI headquarters are in Washington, D.C.”
Read the full article. Use your school’s account information to log in, or email Cara.
The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shared his thoughts on the controversy. His argument seemed to be that unlocking the iPhone is not the start of an invasion of privacy, but about protecting innocent Americans from terrorists.
Two NY Times editorials explain the different points of view in the FBI versus Apple debate. Both of the editorials are summed up in this student article.
Sports Illustrated magazine wrote a piece in 2011 on paying college athletes. It considers what different sports programs cost a college, and how to even things up.
The United States Department of Education has an interesting blog post on incentives in college sports, specifically, the NCAA Basketball Championships (also known as “March Madness” or “The Big Dance.”) The article is entitled “If academic performance determined who won at the Big Dance.” It focuses on how coaches’ salaries impact student academic scholarship.
A recent issue of Junior Scholastic magazine presented our exact debate topic! This pdf version of the article is kind of hard to read…we recommend subscribing to the magazine to read the article in full.
Scholastic News had a poll that asked “Should Voting Be Required by Law?” Curious to see the results? Take the poll and see!
If you have ever watched The Simpsons, you may remember an episode in which Bart Simpson runs for class president:
“During a debate with Martin, Bart tells jokes and wins the class over. Afterwards, certain of Bart’s inevitable victory thanks to his popular campaigning, none of the children in his class—including himself—actually voted, giving Martin the victory with just two votes: one from himself, and the other from Wendell.” (text source)
The Critical Commons website “Free Riding in Class Elections” offers an excellent synopsis of the situation, including saucy Simpson’s video clip.
If there would have been mandatory voting, do you doubt that Bart would have won?
