Case Study: Apple Versus the U.S. Government
In order to understand the way in which a leader communicates, it can be helpful to study a real-life situation. Tim Cook, who is the CEO of Apple, has been embroiled in a public debate regarding a request from the U.S. government to unlock an iPhone. Apple has complied with the government in the past, but the current situation is different due to the scope of the request.
The phone is owned by the San Bernardino Department of Public Health, which provided it as a work phone for Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the shooter suspects in a massacre in San Bernardino, California, where 14 people were killed, and 22 people were injured. Due to the iOS8 operating system installed on the phone, data (e.g., photos, messages, contacts, call history) is securely encrypted using a password. Apple cannot bypass the passcode to obtain the data; this is one of the selling-features that the company provides for its customers. The encryption protects users from hackers and criminals.
In "Inside Apple's Code War," Lev Grossman (2016) explains that after the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory retrieved the phone and booted it up, the authorities learned that it required a passcode for access. Since the phone belonged to San Bernardino County, a technician was able to remotely reset the iCloud password. Unfortunately, this meant that the iPhone, which has its own passcode, would no longer back up information to iCloud.
If the iCloud password had not been changed, Apple could have provided the iPhone's back up data to the government. However, as Kim Zetter (2016) notes, by changing the iCloud password, there is no chance for the iPhone to back up additional data. Zetter (2016) states that the best opportunity to get the data from the iPhone was nullified by the technician changing the Apple ID. If this had not occurred, then Apple would not have to resist the government's attempt to break the security of its own operating system.
What would have been a simple request before the change now resulted in a massive issue. The FBI requested that Apple make a new version of the iPhone operating system that circumvented important security features and install it on the iPhone recovered during the investigation of Syed Rizwan Farook. Apple's argument is that once this type of software is developed, it can be used to unlock any iPhone, and there would be no way to limit its use.
Managers
Zetter (2016) explains that Apple has a standard procedure when working with government agencies. There is a specific department set up to deal with technical requests of this sort, and Apple technicians walked the government agents through the standard process of retrieving the data. The agents did not inform the Apple technicians that the iCloud password had been changed, however, so the information remained locked.
The managers, at this point, had focused on one specific area: They were working on the technical support aspect of the phone. Their communications were centered on fixing this one particular problem; they were meeting the specific demands of a single situation.
Leaders
Cook became involved when the FBI requested that Apple create a new version of iOS 9 that would allow them to unlock the phone. At this point, the issue had moved from a single situation to one of company policy. Cook did not just make a unilateral decision; instead, he consulted with his managers and staff. Cook explained that the company engaged in long, internal discussions prior to the decision being made (as cited in Grossman, 2016).
This is an area of leadership. The leader has to be focused on how all of the departments in an organization work together. Since this is a problem that could affect the entire company, Cook took the time to gather feedback from his executives, managers, and staff. Each person had an opportunity to provide information and to influence the decision.
When the U.S. government filed a motion to compel Apple's assistance in unlocking the iPhone, the situation changed once again. By not filing a sealed case, Grossman (2016) notes, the FBI was trying to bring the court of public opinion into play about the issue. As the leader of Apple, Cook was now faced with anticipating the reactions of his employees to this situation, as well as customers, strategic partners, and so forth. He needed to make decisions in regard to this issue, but he also needed to explain the rationale for those decisions to everyone involved.
Creating a Communications Strategy that Fosters Change and Innovation
Cook addressed this through creating messages about Apple's company mission, goals, and responsibilities. He stressed Apple's dedication to helping law enforcement and provided details on the special efforts the company makes to provide support. Cook focused on customer protection, security, and human rights under the U.S. Constitution. He provided transparency with the court documents and Apple's response.
Along with conducting media interviews to clarify Apple's position, Cook released "A Message to our Customers" where he stressed the company's efforts to keep consumers' information private. The letter calls for public discussion of the issues and presents an overview of the situation so both Apple customers and people throughout the United States can understand what is at stake. He lays out the argument for keeping encryption and adds that if the government uses the All Writs Act to unlock one iPhone, it would have the ability to go into any device to monitor and/or collect data. This would extend to health records, financial data, and location tracking. The All Writs Act could be used to constantly access and monitor any smart phone's microphone and camera without the user's knowledge (Cook, 2016).
In the letter, Cook states that this legal challenge by Apple was not taken lightly but with the deepest respect for American democracy. He feels that the organization is standing up to an overreach of authority by the U.S. government. He welcomes a discussion with the public where people consider the full implications of government surveillance to this extent. Cook concludes the letter by stating that, while the FBI has good intentions in this one case, what will follow will undermine the freedoms and liberty of law-abiding citizens who our government should be protecting (Cook, 2016).
Variations of this message have been repeated by Cook in interviews and at the Town Hall meeting that occurs quarterly at 1 Infinite Circle Plaza. But Cook goes one step further in certain interviews, pointing out that even if the government outlaws encryption by companies in the United States, criminals will simply download apps from outside its borders. Since the Internet is worldwide, it is easy to purchase encryption apps from other countries. So the criminals' data would be unavailable to law enforcement, and everyone else would be vulnerable. Financial information, personal messages, photos, and work documents-anything stored on a computer, tablet, or smart phone-would be vulnerable. This type of technology, Cook states, will only affect good, law-abiding citizens. It will not deter criminals (as cited in Grossman, 2016).
References
Cook, T. (2016). A message to our customers. Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/customer-letter/ Detert, J. R., Burris, E. R., Harrison, D. A., & Martin, S. R. (2013). Voice flows to and around leaders:
Understanding when units are helped or hurt by employee voice. Administrative Science Quarterly, 58(4), 624-668.
Grossman, L. (2016). Inside Apple's code war. Time, 187(11), 42-49.
Merhar, C. (2016, February 4). Employee retention - the real cost of losing an employee [Blog post].
Retrieved from https://www.zanebenefits.com/blog/bid/312123/Employee-Retention-The-Real-Cost-of- Losing-an-Employee
Zetter, K. (2016, February 19). Apple says the government bungled its chance to get that iPhone's data.
Wired. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2016/02/apple-says-the-government-bungled-its-chance- to-hack-that-iphone/
Apply What You Have Learned
In your current (or past) place of employment, reflect on how leaders communicate company policy.
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