Apple’s chief executive Tim Cook said that the FBI’s request: ‘Threatens the security of customers... [and] has implications far beyond the legal case at hand’. The tech giants fear that providing ‘exceptional access’ to devices would expose customers to greater risk of attack from hackers and cyber criminals. In a message to Apple customers, Cook said: ‘Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in our power to protect their personal information... we are deeply committed to safeguarding their data.’
Ask your young people what they think of this case and discuss:
- Do you trust your phone / tablet / internet provider to protect all of your digital data?
- Would you ever be willing to share your private information? If so, under what circumstances?
Ask your group if they have any concerns around data protection and discuss online safety; sites such as ‘Get safe online’, ‘BBC Webwise’ and ‘Think u know’ may be helpful.
- Are you careful what information you put online or store on your phone / tablet?
- How can you better protect your data?
The European Convention on Human Rights states, ‘Everyone has the right to respect for [their] private and family life, [their] home and [their] correspondence.’ ‘Correspondence’ arguably extends to our online life too.’ Ask:
- How private are you as a person?
- How important is it that people respect your privacy?
- How private are we as a country? Have we got it right?
With the rise of cyber bullying, trolling and fake social media accounts, it has become harder to distinguish between truth and falsity online.
- What are the big differences between online and offline? Is one safer than the other?
- Are there things you say or activities you do online that you wouldn’t dare to do offline?
Jesus often went to a private place to pray and the Bible speaks positively about doing good deeds in secret (Matthew 6). But it also warns of the danger of privacy and the things we get up to when we think no one is watching (2 Kings 17:9). Read Jeremiah 23:24 and discuss how your group feels about God seeing everything we do in secret.
- Does too much privacy result in us doing things we probably shouldn’t?
- How private is your faith? Do you purposefully hide it? If so, why?
Take some time to pray for your young people – for their cyber safety and for integrity in every area of their lives.
