Encryption: what is it exactly, and who is right about it?

Normally we publish What’s Tech? on Tuesday morning, but we couldn’t hold next week’s episode until then. A federal court has requested Apple help the FBI gain access to the contents of an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters. Apple has refused.

For some, the issue appears, at first glance, quite cut and dry: Apple should do everything in its power to help the FBI. But the case is more complex than a company collaborating with the government, and plays into a larger ongoing debate about encryption and privacy.

I recorded this episode with The Verge’s Russell Brandom last week, so we don’t address Apple specifically, but the episode does provide the crucial context for conversations you’re likely to have at the office coffee machine or family dinner table.