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LA Times

Apple Showdown With FBI Over Terrorist’s iPhone Seen as the ‘Defining Case’ in a Bigger Fight

Feb 18, 2016  •  Post A Comment

Explaining why he’s fighting an FBI order to help crack an iPhone, Apple CEO Tim Cook said going along with the order would set a dangerous precedent, the Los Angeles Times reports. Cook indicated that helping to unencrypt the phone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook would create a “backdoor” to Apple’s security systems that could compromise the security of billions of customers.

Legal experts, meanwhile, characterized the clash over the terrorist’s iPhone as the defining case in a bigger struggle between the federal government and Silicon Valley. Robert Cattanach, a cybersecurity attorney and former Department of Justice special counsel, is quoted in the report saying: “The FBI’s request … represents the next step in the journey to find the Holy Grail of backdoor unencryption, and the next salvo in the ever-escalating battle between law enforcement and tech companies.”

The standoff follows a ruling Tuesday by a judge in San Bernardino County ordering Apple to help federal authorities pull information from the shooter’s iPhone, as we reported Wednesday.

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One Comment

  1. If all that was requested and ordered was to get the data on one specific iPhone, there would be no issue. The gov however wants universal access to any iPhone any time in their own workplace and without further help from Apple. Basically they want Apple to build them a “back door” they can use any time they want on any phone. But even at this, unless you are doing drug deals, planning a crime or are Hillary Clinton – what difference at this point does it make – if law enforcement sees your emails? Nobody cares if you are cheating on your spouse, buying porn online or criticizing your boss! So why worry about privacy? What is clear is that liberal activists don’t want the scrutiny. They want to operate in the shadows and cause problems and disruption to the normalcy of everyday life. It is so funny to see a complete reversal of positions with liberals wanting less government!

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