For those of you who have seen any inkling of news lately, you’ve definitely heard something about Apple and the FBI duking it out. If you’re like most people and only read headlines without reading any of the details, please continue reading because I’m going to tell you everything you could possibly want to know about the situation, as well as what the consequences are of either side getting their way.

First, let’s recap the San Bernardino shooting. Last December, Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people, but were ultimately killed in a shootout with law enforcement. The police seized all their electronics, but soon discovered their cell phones were destroyed and the hard drive from their laptop was missing. The only useful piece of technology the police found was an iPhone 5c which we now know to be Farook’s work phone. This 5C lies at the center of the debate between Apple and the FBI.

Now, at this point you should be asking “Why isn’t the FBI capable of cracking one iPhone?” You would think that, with all the mastermind computer geniuses working for our government, the FBI would be able to establish entry into one measly iPhone. But, apparently that’s not the case.

When Apple released iOS 8 back in September of 2014, they effectively limited everyone’s iPhone entry capabilities, including their own. Pre-iOS 8, Apple only allowed the FBI, or any government investigation team, limited access to their servers and only at their Cupertino Headquarters. When iOS 8 was released, Apple informed the FBI, and the world, that their means of accessing Apple customer data would no longer be viable. This brings us to the current confrontation between the two organizations.

With the FBI in possession of the iPhone 5c, and their own means of hacking apparently rendered useless, they have made a request of Apple. Actually, it’s not a request. It’s a court ordered demand. The FBI is demanding that Apple create a completely new iPhone operating system for the 5c. This system would be layered underneath a phone’s current OS and provide the FBI means to bypass most, if not all, security measures in order to gain access to the phone. The FBI wishes to install this new system onto the phone recovered from San Bernardino and gain entry into its content.

Apple’s issue here is not one single phone. Their issue is all the phones they currently provide for. This backdoor that the FBI is requesting is not a one-time only deal. It would mean the creation of a system that would allow the FBI entry into any iPhone 5c. In an open letter to Apple’s customers, CEO Tim Cook said that “Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. And while the government may argue that is use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.”

I’m with Tim Cook on this one. By allowing the government such ease of access to this single iPhone, who’s to say they won’t use the tool again the next time. I don’t think we can trust the FBI to limit themselves with the power this new OS would provide them.

The other dilemma here is the legal precedent that would be set if the FBI gets their way. Yes, it’s true that the OS being requested by the FBI would only work on iPhone 5c’s. But if the legal precedent is set that the government can demand a company to provide it with security overrides in order to obtain data, Apple’s iPhone 5c will just be the tip of the iceberg. If the FBI can demand Apple to bypass important security measures from their operating systems, no software company in the country would be able to avoid doing the same, if ordered.

This situation, which appears as though it will a nasty battle over user privacy, is going to set a major precedent no matter which direction the decision goes. If Apple gets their way, it would be a major win for user security/privacy. But if the FBI comes out on top, it would be another win on the path to “security.”

In an ever globalized, technology centered world, limiting the encryption power of American citizens doesn’t seem like the smartest way to keep us safe.