Comedian John Oliver has weighed in on the encryption battle between Apple and the FBI with one of his trademark monologues, dissecting the case in an amusingly insightful way before eventually siding with the Cupertino tech giant.
In a 20-minute “deep dive” segment on Last Week Tonight, Oliver starts by explaining the significance of encryption before taking a detailed look at each side of the argument, showcasing clips from notable figures and news reports. Cook, Comey and Trump all make an appearance in video form, none of whom manage to escape without a scratch or two from the show’s team of joke writers.
Ultimately, Oliver sides strongly with Apple on this one, closing the segment with a fake TV commercial which explains why improving, rather than weakening, technological security is so important. The ad concludes, “here’s something you should know: we’re barely one step ahead of hackers at all times.”
The video’s worth a watch for a fresh, remarkably clear explanation of why everyone should care about strong encryption. If you’re familiar with the show you won’t be surprised to hear that there’s a fair amount of not-safe-for-work language involved – but if you can handle a few crude jokes you’ll be treated to a succinct and intelligent breakdown of the current encryption case. You can watch the full video below (US only at this time).