outdo wants Apple to unlock the Pensacola shooter’s iPhones. Here’s why it won’t
San Francisco (CNN Enterprise)President Donald Trump simply slammed Apple for refusing to enable the US authorities entry to the iPhones “used by killers, drug dealers and other violent criminal elements.”
In a tweet on Tuesday, Trump mentioned the tech big “will have to step up to the plate and help our great Country.”
Trump’s tweet got here hours after Apple declined requests from US Lawyer Normal William Barr and the FBI to unlock two iPhones believed to have been utilized by a 21-year-old man who killed three sailors in a taking pictures final month at a Pensacola, Florida, Air Drive base.
Barr additionally expressed frustration that Apple’s built-in encryption prevented the FBI from entering into the telephones. “We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of Americans and prevent future attacks,” he mentioned.
Why Apple won’t budge
Apple’s dedication to defending the privateness of its customers is well-known. The iPhone maker has hammered on privateness as a advertising pitch lately, with CEO Tim Prepare dinner repeatedly calling privateness a basic human proper. Prepare dinner advised CNN in 2018 that he wants governments round the world to limit how a lot knowledge firms can accumulate from their prospects.
Apple (AAPL) has pushed again in opposition to ideas it is not cooperating with authorities on the Pensacola case, saying in a press release Monday that it “responded to each request promptly … with all the information that we had.”
However the firm additionally mentioned creating particular entry to its gadgets for the authorities was the place it would draw the line.
“We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers,” Apple added. “Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users’ data.”
Not the first time
Apple has squared off in opposition to the US authorities earlier than beneath comparable circumstances. In 2016, the firm opposed a court docket order to assist the FBI unlock the iPhone of certainly one of two shooters who opened hearth in San Bernardino, California, killing 14 folks.
The FBI ended up entering into the cellphone by buying a “tool” from a personal firm that value greater than $1 million, the company’s then-director James Comey mentioned in April 2016. Comey wouldn’t elaborate on the firm or the companies supplied.
Apple’s stance on the San Bernardino shooter’s cellphone was supported by a number of of its huge tech friends, together with Fb (FB), Google (GOOGLE) and Microsoft (MSFT).
Fb has confronted an analogous tussle on the different aspect of the world, squaring off in opposition to India’s authorities over its cellular messaging service, WhatsApp. India — the firm’s largest market with 400 million-plus WhatsApp customers — demanded in 2018 that Fb add the potential to observe particular person messages after a sequence of lynchings tied to viral hoax forwards.
WhatsApp has repeatedly refused, saying encryption is prime to its personal nature. “We will not weaken the privacy protections WhatsApp provides,” a spokesperson mentioned at the time.
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