In light of Apple’s recent software update, which allows the tech giant to access significantly more user data, Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) – the nation’s most active youth libertarian organization – is coming out in support of user privacy. Below is a statement from YAL senior spokesman Eric Brakey:
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Apple Will Now Scan Our Phones
“Apple once campaigned against a 1984 dystopian future and famously stood up to government agencies wanting backdoor access to the private information of customers. Sadly, Apple is abandoning those values now, building a system to scan our phones for personal information and report infractions to the government. Americans are already spied on enough - and every Apple user should be acutely aware how much privacy they are losing.”
The new software update, iOS 15, contains a major issue: Private photos saved to iCloud are automatically sent to a third-party database, including photos submitted through iMessage to or from a minor. While intended to stop child abuse, such changes may allow the federal, state, and local government to directly interfere in the private lives of all Americans, the overwhelming majority of whom are law-abiding citizens.
A longtime policy advisor to YAL, Mr. Brakey served in the Maine Senate from 2014 to 2018, championing individual liberty and limited government. He sponsored the Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from collecting user data without their informed consent.
Members of YAL's Hazlitt Coalition - the organization's growing network of more than 170 pro-liberty legislators from 37 states - have introduced nearly 40 bills that protect Americans' privacy rights in various ways. Earlier this month, Edward Snowden attended YAL's Revolution 2021 conference in Florida, criticizing the federal government, Big Tech, and other entities for trampling over American privacy rights.
