The School of Information Studies (iSchool) will host a multidisciplinary panel discussion on Friday afternoon to help shed light on Apple corporation’s resistance to the recent FBI demand to unlock the iPhone of one of the terrorists involved in the San Bernardino California killings in December 2015.

“Apple’s resistance to an FBI demand to unlock the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists has created a heated debate about the privacy rights of citizens versus the needs of police and intelligence agencies to collect information to understand and possibly prevent terrorist or criminal acts,” said Jason Dedrick, Associate Dean for Research at the iSchool, who is organizing the panel discussion. “A wide range of individuals and organizations have defended either Apple or the FBI, from tech industry leaders to presidential candidates, from intelligence experts to privacy advocates.”

With such a complex issue that has ramifications for individuals, companies and governments in the U.S. and around the world, the discussion is, “often uninformed, biased and even inflammatory,” noted Dedrick.

Dedrick has convened a panel of Syracuse University experts who will gather to provide knowledgeable perspectives on the technical, legal, policy and privacy concerns that are raised in Apple’s tussle with the FBI. They will engage in a lively discussion and conversation with the audience.

Panelists will include Kevin Du, Professor at the College of Engineering and Computer Science, Bill Snyder, Visiting Assistant Professor at the College of Law, and Yang Wang, Assistant Professor at the iSchool. 

The panel will take place at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 26 in Hinds Hall 347 (Katzer Room), and is open to all campus and community attendees. The panel can also be viewed live online: 

Join Discussion – Feb. 26 3PM

webconference.syr.edu/applevsfbi