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Watch Steve Wozniak tell Conan he coded something like Mac viruses

Published Mar 8th, 2016 6:55AM EST
Steve Wozniak Mac Viruses Conan
Image: Screnshot / YouTube

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Wearing an Apple Watch, Steve Wozniak appeared on Conan last night and – unsurprisingly – defended Apple in the case against the FBI. That’s hardly surprising, considering that Wozniak is a co-founder of both Apple and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) – the latter recently explained why Apple is right to advocate strong encryption.

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Woz labeled the case the FBI picked to go to war against Apple as the “lamest” case possible, explaining that computers need the kind of strong security that Apple is defending in its duel with the FBI.

Most surprisingly, Wozniak went on to explain that in his lifetime he created two Mac viruses that would spread from Macintosh to Macintosh computer, but he added that destroyed that code immediately, as that’s not something you want to let out.

Wozniak did not explain when or why he created “something that could be a virus” and spread itself on Macs forever, but he made a pretty compelling case that such a program is not something you’d want to let out – watch the clip below.

Meanwhile, the Apple vs. FBI battle is in full swing, as each side is making its case in front of the public, but also authorities including Congress and courts. Most recently, Apple software chief Craig Federighi explained why strong encryption is a must-have feature of modern devices.

According to recent polls, the public opinions favors Apple, but the company scored important victories both in Congress and in courts in the preceding weeks. Furthermore, the most important companies in tech today, and a large number of privacy advocates have sided with the iPhone maker in amicus briefs that were already filed with the court.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.