Apple iPad: Security vs. Freedom

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010 | Tech |

Over at my company’s blog I lead a roundtable discussion of whether the closed nature of the iPad actually leads to better security.

Apple’s iPad went on sale last weekend. As Cory Doctorow and others have noted, Steve Jobs has made the iPad a closed system. You’re prohibited from installing unapproved software, modifying the hardware, or even changing the battery.

Doctorow looks at the issue from the perspective of rights and creative freedom. I’d like to talk about the security aspect.

In the world of information security we’re often forced into balancing security on the one hand against convenience and freedom on the other. The closed nature of the Apple iPad certainly reduces freedom. The question is, does that loss of freedom actually make the iPad more secure? I asked our security staff for their opinions.

Links, Diggs, and comments at the company blog are much appreciated. We just launched last month and we’re working hard to build traffic.

Tags: apple, ipad