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AP

Tech Companies Join the Encryption Fight

Feb 19, 2016  •  Post A Comment

The battle between Apple and the federal government over encryption has been joined by a number of tech companies, with the industry lining up on Apple’s side.

As we reported previously, Apple was ordered to help the government unencrypt the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook. But most observers see the fight as something broader.

“The court order sets the stage for a legal clash that could determine whether tech companies or government authorities get the final say on just how secure devices like smartphones can be,” the AP reports.

Other tech companies were silent at first when the order went public, but they’ve begun adding their voice to the discussion. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sent out a tweet Thursday saying: “We stand with @tim-cook and Apple (and thank him for his leadership)!”

The AP report adds: “In a statement late Thursday, Facebook said it condemns terrorism and also appreciates the essential work of law enforcement in keeping people safe. But it said it will ‘fight aggressively’ against requirements for companies to weaken the security of their systems.”

Executives at Google and Yahoo were among those expressing similar sentiments.

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One Comment

  1. I work in the phone industry and this is the worst idea ever. People want to check on their spouses and their kids; companies want to check on their employees. The list goes on and on. Phones have to be secure!! If the gov’t needs phone numbers called, they can get that from the phone companies with subpoenas. the same for websites visited; numbers texted. This is a ploy to try and place the blame for lax security practices on someone besides the gov’t agencies responsible for security . These people were known to the gov’t and they are trying to hide their own incompetence by blaming someone else and distracting from the real issue. Too much bureaucracy and political correctness to do what is necessary to protect the average citizen from known or suspected terrorists.

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