R.E.A.C.T. Redux
by JS
Nice to see that my concerns about R.E.A.C.T. are echoed by at least one professional blogger. Reading many of the comments of the linked post, it seems pretty clear that people are missing the point. There is an issue here that is independent of Apple, Gizmodo, stealing phones, trafficking in stolen phones, shield laws, and any other particular issue of hot debate surrounding the recent iPhone kerfuffle.
The question is whether private for-profit company involvement with law enforcement leads to inappropriate conflicts of interest. If it helps to understand my hesitation, replace Apple with Xe (formerly Blackwater), Gizmodo with Wikileaks, and the stolen iPhone with a stolen Xe laptop. Would you be so quick to support the actions of the police department if you knew that the police had a special relationship with Xe?
