I think that the government should have the right to force companies like Apple to unlock phones, but only if the situation calls for it. Reason being, they would be able to use and spread the information from those phones that could negatively, or positively, affect those in society. While unlocking phones does help the government and society stay safe in some cases, it does not mean that it is always a good way to resolve things. Some things are simply not meant for society to know.

Unlocking phones should also be a reserved right to the company owning the phone. After all, the company did produce and sell the phone, therefore they should get all rights to the device. However, as previously stated, they should be forced into unlocking phones in dire cases, not altogether from one issue. If the government is the one calling to unlock the phone, then the situation has to be a big one, even if society does not want to hear it.

If a company was going to be forced into unlocking phones, then the only reason why should be because of a dire situation. In this situation they should be obligated to listen to what the government has to say. On the other hand, if the reason were to unlock phones due to some silly situation, they should not need to comply to the government (although they will have to). The company created the device and should get the rights, but at the same time, the government tends to know what is best for everybody.

While unlocking phones may lead to losing a bit of public safety, sometimes it is required to do so by the government themselves. Similarly, the company owning the phone should be able to have some kind of right to say “no” to situations such as these. While I am mostly on the fence for this sort of thing, it is what I feel about the situation, all in all.