Review: John Oliver Takes on Encryption and The FBI vs Apple

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John Oliver Takes Ownership

This past Sunday, March 13th, to be exact, John Oliver tackled a tougher issue than I had seen him take on in any of the previous editions of Last Week Tonight I had seen. I’m sure it has not been a matter of Oliver’s ducking the difficult issues for the sake of convenience. Instead, this was a matter where the issue was not so easy to comment about.

In past shows, there had been little such controversy. Is Donald Trump a buffoon? Is the bear Catholic? Are swindling televangelists the scum of the Earth? Does a pope shit in the woods? (Actually, yes. There were popes long before there was a Vatican). But when we come to the issue of encryption, the issue is not so clear in terms of good guys vs. bad guys. Of course, we are talking about the Department of Justice wanting to compel Apple to write code that would allow them access to the cell phone of the San Bernardino terrorist.

Of course, Oliver threw in a good measure of japes, but, in general, kept the conversation serious enough to fit the topic. This was not laugh-so-hard-you-puke-yourself humor. This was thoughtful commentary, presented in as lighthearted a vein as possible, which is not very.

On one hand, the government has a case insofar as encryption allows the many thousands of terrorists who are constantly seeking to kill innocent people, a way to keep their clandestine activities in the dark. It makes the job of finding out what they are up to and preventing more mayhem all the harder. One thing we should make note of and that nobody—Oliver included—has done much to point out, is that we and our allies have prevented far more terrorist attacks than we have allowed, encryption notwithstanding. In other words, the defeat of encryption is not the only tool we have at our disposal. Still, it is uncomfortable to be thought of as giving aid to a merciless and fanatical enemy, and that is no joke.

On the other hand, Apple makes the case that you cannot just let the government take a quick peek at this one cell phone and then go back to the days of effective encryption. Any compromise of the encryption protocol will unleash all manner of evil from hacking peoples’ devices for commercial access to outright robbery to mayhem from a different source. Anyone favoring the government’s position on this issue must take that into consideration. As John Oliver said in an appearance on Stephen Colbert’s show the following night, there are no easy sides to take, and whichever side you do take, you have to own the evil that comes with it.

Let me be the benevolent spoiler and tell you that John Oliver sides with Apple in the end—not that he is in awe of their success—because they represent an important right that all providers of information technology must possess: the right to encrypt. As a matter of fact, throughout the segment, Oliver takes some not entirely undeserved digs at Apple. Tim Cook may be right about this one issue, but, as Oliver would infer, that does not make him a candidate for sainthood.
Of course, there is the usual short comedy before the main topic, and it too is worth the viewer’s attention, even if it is not as important as the vexing issue of encryption. As I have said to the point of resembling a broken record, this show is worth your time and attention if you have not already seen it.

 

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Thomas Cleveland Lane

Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.
Thomas Cleveland Lane

Thomas Cleveland Lane

Thomas Cleveland Lane is a semi-retired freelance writer for pay and a stage actor for nothing more than the opportunity to make a fool of himself. Well, he does get a small stipend from the Washington Area Decency League, after playing the role of Hinezie in The Pajama Game, to never, ever appear on stage in his underpants again. When he has not managed to buffalo some director into casting him, Thomas can often be found at his favorite piano bar, annoying the patrons with his caterwauling. Thomas is the author of an anthology called Shaggy Dogs, a Collection of Not-So-Short Stories (destined to become a cult classic, shortly after he croaks). He is also the alter-ego to a very unbalanced Czech poet named Glub Dzmc. Mr. Lane generally resides in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and was last seen in the mirror, three days ago.