4 ms·

I'm not really surprised that other companies aren't coming out of the woodwork to make themselves targets. It's clear that in the main they will hold similarly

I'm not really surprised that other companies aren't coming out of the woodwork to make themselves targets. It's clear that in the main they will hold similarly strong views to Apple, but any PR worth their salt will not want the CEO of a company not implicated in something as politically charged as this to enter into the discussion. For those who oppose this kind of behaviour by the US Government, it's a relief that they picked on Apple: a company with strong opinions about this topic, and the financial wherewithal and gumption to oppose it as robustly as anyone.

vbezhenar 11y ago
This doesn't sound as a freedom of speech but more as oppressive government. Something wrong if people don't want to express their opinions because of fear.
- mcphage 11y ago
  > Something wrong if people don't want to express their opinions because of fear. Not people—companies.
  - BEEdwards 11y ago
    They have the same free speech rights as people, so companies arguably do have opinions.
    - mcphage 11y ago
      They do, but the implications of their fears are different.
  - Lawtonfogle 11y ago
    The same tactics apply to people... have been applied to people...
  - oldmanjay 11y ago
    Companies are groups of people. Trying to disparage them as some force outside humanity is great for getting laid in college, but it's not an accurate reflection of what is really happening, so it's not a helpful attitude when addressing problems.
pdkl95 11y ago
> It's clear that in the main they will hold similarly strong views to Apple That's not clear at all. It's hard to find neutral ground in political problems like this. Staying quiet to avoid implication isn't a neutral position. Evil triumphs when good men choose to step aside instead of helping their neighbor.
ary 11y ago
> I'm not really surprised that other companies aren't coming out of the woodwork to make themselves targets. Not just targets of bad publicity, but probably lawsuits as well. The Feds don't want the dismantling of the 4th Amendment to be challenged in court and the companies complicit in said dismantling don't want it to hurt the bottom line.
CaptSpify 11y ago
> it's a relief that they picked on Apple: a company with strong opinions about this topic Not only that, but so many other tech companies rely on user-data. They can't sell it, then turn around and say no when the govt asks for it. I don't think it was luck, I think they picked on apple specifically because they clearly state that they don't rely on that data.

vbezhenar 11y ago

This doesn't sound as a freedom of speech but more as oppressive government. Something wrong if people don't want to express their opinions because of fear.

mcphage 11y ago
> Something wrong if people don't want to express their opinions because of fear. Not people—companies.
- BEEdwards 11y ago
  They have the same free speech rights as people, so companies arguably do have opinions.
  - mcphage 11y ago
    They do, but the implications of their fears are different.
- Lawtonfogle 11y ago
  The same tactics apply to people... have been applied to people...
- oldmanjay 11y ago
  Companies are groups of people. Trying to disparage them as some force outside humanity is great for getting laid in college, but it's not an accurate reflection of what is really happening, so it's not a helpful attitude when addressing problems.

pdkl95 11y ago

> It's clear that in the main they will hold similarly strong views to Apple That's not clear at all. It's hard to find neutral ground in political problems like this. Staying quiet to avoid implication isn't a neutral position. Evil triumphs when good men choose to step aside instead of helping their neighbor.

ary 11y ago

> I'm not really surprised that other companies aren't coming out of the woodwork to make themselves targets. Not just targets of bad publicity, but probably lawsuits as well. The Feds don't want the dismantling of the 4th Amendment to be challenged in court and the companies complicit in said dismantling don't want it to hurt the bottom line.

CaptSpify 11y ago

> it's a relief that they picked on Apple: a company with strong opinions about this topic Not only that, but so many other tech companies rely on user-data. They can't sell it, then turn around and say no when the govt asks for it. I don't think it was luck, I think they picked on apple specifically because they clearly state that they don't rely on that data.