Apple and the FBI are locked in a court case that pits digital privacy versus matters of national security.
In an attempt to stop the push by the FBI, Apple Inc. has asked for the order given forcing the iPhone maker to provide a patch that will help the FBI access information in a locked iPhone to be reversed.
Apple is facing an uphill in trying to stop the court order from taking effect as the company believes that providing such help would be jeopardizing the privacy protocols it has established in line with its devices and user information stored on the devices.
According to the filing, Cupertino is accusing the FBI or rather the government of seeking very “dangerous power” with the help of the courts. In addition, Apple has reasons to believe that the move is a violation of the company’s constitutional rights.
The war is on
With such statements, it means the war is on. It is not the first time tech companies will be wedging a war with the government regarding privacy matters. Cupertino has received backing from almost the entire Silicon Valley, with China’s Huawei also joining the party in voicing its support for Apple in the war between privacy and national security. It is possible that this matter might even end up in the Supreme Court.
According to Apple lawyers, the government’s request that only claims to be “Just this once” and for “Just this phone” is not true. The moment Apple gives the FBI what it is asking for; they will be banging at Apple, Microsoft, Google and many other companies too for the same or related cases. It is, for this reason, major tech giants are ganging up behind Apple in support of its case against the government.
Of course, this matter follows the terror attack that took place on December 2 in San Bernardino, where 14 were killed by one Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik. The retrieved iPhone 5C is what the FBI wants Apple to help break into.
The ongoing court fight will for sure set a new ground where new legal boundaries will be established with respect to how technology is dealt with in such instances of national security and encryption. The fight has been on for quite some time in the U.S. and the UK, with both governments still unable to find a way to breach the current privacy and security protocols used by major internet companies such as Google, Twitter and Facebook.