ADVERTISEMENT

Bill Gates believes Apple should unlock iPhones at the government's request (AAPL, MSFT)

In an interview with the news website Axios, Gates talked about the issues that small groups with access to powerful technologies could present to society.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates believes companies should allow the government to operate freely if they don't want to be overscrutinized.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Tech companies have to be careful that they're not trying to think their view is more important than the government's view, or than the government being able to function in some key areas," he told the news website Axios in an interview.

When the interviewer Mike Allen asked about Apple — which refused to help the FBI break in to an iPhone used by a terrorist in San Bernardino, California, in December 2015 — Gates replied that he didn't share the belief "that even a clear mass-murdering criminal's communication should never be available to the government."

"There's no question of ability" for Apple to unlock an iPhone, he said, adding, "It's the question of willingness."

ADVERTISEMENT

Gates is often pictured as an optimist, so Axios asked him whether there is anything that scared him. Gates pointed to the double-edged nature of impactful technology's availability to small, independent, unregulated groups.

"There's always the question how much technology is empowering a small group of people to cause damage," he said, going on to say that "smaller groups" might have access to nuclear weapons, bioterror weapons, or cyberweapons.

"A small group can have an impact — in the case of nuclear, on millions; and in the case of bio, on billions," he added. "That is scary to me."

FOLLOW BUSINESS INSIDER AFRICA

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Recommended articles

US troop withdrawal from Niger hangs in the balance

US troop withdrawal from Niger hangs in the balance

Detained Binance executives sue Nigerian authorities for human right violation

Detained Binance executives sue Nigerian authorities for human right violation

Nigeria's central bank increases minimum capital base for banks

Nigeria's central bank increases minimum capital base for banks

Sony’s creators convention redefines the creative landscape for content creators

Sony’s creators convention redefines the creative landscape for content creators

Exploring the popularity of progressive jackpot slots in Indonesia

Exploring the popularity of progressive jackpot slots in Indonesia

Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa ranked as Africa's most polluted countries in new report

Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa ranked as Africa's most polluted countries in new report

10 African countries with the lowest life expectancy according to the World Bank

10 African countries with the lowest life expectancy according to the World Bank

Kenyan women are more obese than their men - here’s why

Kenyan women are more obese than their men - here’s why

Africa’s richest man Dangote stands between Europe and $17 billion in revenue

Africa’s richest man Dangote stands between Europe and $17 billion in revenue

ADVERTISEMENT