By Scott McCoy

As a business owner of a technology development company, I view the Apple vs. the FBI situation a little differently than most people.

The FBI wants to get the data from the San Bernardino terrorists’ iPhone.  However, that iPhone has encrypted data, and has essentially been boobie-trapped.  If someone attempts to unlock the phone unsuccessfully too many times, the iPhone will destroy the data.

Now, I’m not going to get into who is right or why – because that would require more time than two-minutes.

But I think the reason behind Apple’s bucking the FBI’s request has nothing to do with terrorism, or user privacy, or even government intrusion.

I believe Apple has a marketing problem.

For technology development companies, they always build in back-doors and safeties into their systems.  If something goes wrong, they need a way around it.  That’s normal practice – especially during the development process.

But if Apple uses their back-door (assuming they do have one), then they are admitting to the world that their iPhones already have a potential hackable hole – and that’s in direct conflict with Apple’s marketing of a secure, encrypted iPhone.

If Apple doesn’t already have a back-door into their iPhone, then building one proves the iPhone is, in fact, hackable.  Again, proving their marketing of a secure iPhone is bogus.

If Apple claimed to have attempted to build a back-door, but was unsuccessful because their iPhone is so secure – you can bet some smart 15-year-old wiz kid will hack it and make Apple look incompetent.

So, the only position Apple could take is to get out of the mess and block the FBI’s request and the court order – and keep the status quo.

And to do that, Apple pinned all iPhone users against the U.S. Government, by claiming their rights are being challenged. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook went so far to say people’s personal safety is at stake.

But I believe Apple is protecting it’s reputation, and not our country, or even the privacy of its users.

Apple turned this bad situation around and united their cult-like flock to rally together to fight “the man…”

Because if Apple helped stop the next possible terrorist attack by accessing this one iPhone – it would have been bad for business.

Scott McCoy is the former mayor of Pontiac, Illinois. He fought FEMA in Pontiac’s worst natural disaster in recorded history – reversing FEMA’s denial for federal help for the historic flood that greatly impacted Pontiac and Watseka. In 2008 and 2009, Scott successfully took on then-Governor Rod Blagojevich, who attempted to shut down the Pontiac Correctional Center. He also worked to build Pontiac, Illinois into one of the top tourism communities in Illinois.

Scott has been a small business owner for the past 20 years. His company develops software technology and video marketing media.

In 2015, Scott and his family moved to Normal, where his wife, Jennifer, is completing her degree in the ISU Principal Preparation Program.

In December, 2015, Scott joined the WJBC Forums.

The opinions expressed within WJBC’s Forum are solely those of the Forum’s author, and are not necessarily those of WJBC or Cumulus Media, Inc.