On Jan. 6th, 2019 a man named Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani entered a naval base in Pensacola Florida, killed three soldiers, and injured eight others. According to the New York Times, “After his initial arrival in the country, he attended language school at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, the officials said, and took classes in English and aviation.” 

The FBI requires the password to the gunman’s phone or they will be unable to conduct their job. Although Apple claims this is an unprecedented and unnecessary step, under serious circumstances the FBI should be able to unlock any iPhone. 

This is not the first time Apple has refused to unlock a criminal’s phone. According to CNBC, Apple received a court order requesting the phone be unlocked, but Apple resisted it. “In that case, the point was dropped when the FBI was able to crack into the phone without Apple’s help, but the incident raised questions about the balance between civil liberties and public safety that have yet to be settled.”

The FBI has every right to get the passwords to this man’s phone because he was a terrorist and killed naval soldiers. Sophomore Sophie Meseri said, “Apple should give the FBI the password because it’s a matter of public safety. Terrorists are harming our society, which should allow Apple to hand over any password needed.”

It is understood that Apple keeps its client’s information private, but when someone commits murder, there should be a regulation to do what the FBI wants. “If someone gets killed they should be able to give them a password,” said Sophomore Ashton Kaine. 

In this matter, Apple should not be concerned with the violation of private information but should do justice by soldiers who were killed in the attack.