An op-ed on the 2016 Apple v. FBI encryption dispute, arguing that the core issue is not government surveillance of criminal communication but the right of law-abiding citizens to keep their private thoughts secure. Using the analogy of a priest refusing to divulge what was said in confession, Amer argues that smartphones function less like communication devices and more like deeply personal data stores — “portable confessionals” — and that any government-mandated workaround for accessing encrypted devices cannot be limited to a single case without threatening the security and peace of mind of everyone who relies on strong encryption.
@misc{amer2016phonesconfessionals,
author = {Amer, Ahmed},
title = {Our Phones Are Not Confessionals},
year = {2016},
month = mar,
day = {4},
howpublished = {Re/code},
url = {https://www.vox.com/2016/3/4/11586694/our-phones-are-not-confessionals}
}