According to the UNHCR, weakening the security of iOS could put lives in danger

We are not a few users and important figures (and when I say this I am not referring to me being someone important) who support Apple in the pulse that the company led by Tim Cook maintains with the FBI for our privacy. Users ask that our data be kept safe and, if we wish, only accessible to ourselves, while the FBI and its defenders defend security above all else. But surely the point of view of the latter changes after reading the statements of the UNHCR (acronym in English of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) in which they affirm that weakening iOS security could put lives at risk.

Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein of UNHCR says the privacy is a prerequisite for security and calls for clear red lines to be drawn to protect personal data in the digital age. On the other hand, the resolution of the case Apple vs. The FBI could have negative consequences for the human rights of people around the world if the FBI finally succeeds in forcing Apple to weaken the security of iOS, warning that such a step could be "a gift to authoritarian regimes."

UNHCR: "Privacy is a prerequisite for security"

To address a security-related issue that in turn is related to encryption in one case, the risk requested by authorities when unlocking a Pandora's box could have extremely damaging implications for the human rights of millions of people, including your physical and financial security. […]

I recognize that this case is far from reaching a conclusion in the courts of the United States and all interested parties seek not only to win the case, but its potential broader impact.

The Commissioner also talks about the importance of knowing where to mark the red lines to protect ourselves from criminals and repression, contradicting the statements of the United States Government in which they affirm that this case deals only with the iPhone of a terrorist:

There are many ways to investigate whether or not these killers had accomplices beyond forcing Apple to create software by removing security features from their own phones. This is not just a case between a company and a country. It will have huge repercussions for the future of people's safety in the digital world that is increasingly tied to the real world we live in. […]

If Apple loses, it will set a precedent that may make it impossible for Apple or another major international company to safeguard the privacy of its customers around the world. It is a potential gift for authoritarian regimes, as well as cybercriminals. […]

It is not a fantasy or an exaggeration to say that without encryption tools, lives can be in danger. At worst, a government's ability to hack into the phones of its citizens can lead to the persecution of people who are simply exercising their fundamental human rights.

And there is no shortage of intent on the part of criminals to commit economic crimes by accessing other people's data. Personal contacts and calendars, financial information, health data and much other private information must be protected from criminals, hackers and unscrupulous governments who can use it against people for the wrong reasons. It is a time when we store much of our personal and professional life on our smartphones and other devices, how is it going to be possible to protect that information without fail-safe encryption systems?

Personally, I cannot agree more with the words of Al Hussein, starting with the simplest: the financial data. I check my finances from my mobile and the last thing I want is for someone to access this data. But then there are the photos, who has the right to see the photos of a newborn child (to take a mild example) without my permission? And if I have something to hide, who assures me that the person or organization I am trying to hide something from cannot spy on me? And, be careful, I'm not talking about committing any crime, if not that, for example, one may be working for a company and not wanting the competition to find out so as not to close doors, for example. And, well, given the argument that many can give stating that "do not save data of that type on a smartphone" the answer would be that "If I can't use a smartphone as such, that's why I don't have a smartphone.

Anyway, I just hope that, as I have said many times, Apple wins this case and users can keep our private information private.