Profit or patriotism? What’s driving fight between US, Apple

“Rather than assist the effort to fully investigate a deadly terrorist attack by obeying this court’s [previous order], Apple has responded by publicly repudiating that order, “US attorneys wrote”.

Trump’s comments come days after Cook said in an open letter that his company was opposing a federal judge’s order to provide the FBI with security software to break into one of the San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhones.

The iPhone at the center of the controversy belonged to Syed Farook, a Pakistani-American who together with his wife killed 15 people late previous year in San Bernardino.

Manhattan prosecutors said this week that New York City police and prosecutors have been unable to access data on more than 175 Apple devices taken in criminal investigations. “I just thought of it. Boycott Apple!”. They are likely to argue that the Justice Department’s demands and the judge’s order go beyond the government’s statutory powers in gathering and searching for evidence under the All Writs Act, a law dating to 1789 used in the current case.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has protested the order, saying “the USA government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too risky to create. We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business”, Cook said. “In the wrong hands, this software – which does not exist today – would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession”, wrote Cook.

Contending “Apple is not above the law”, prosecutors said the company was “perfectly capable of advising customers that compliance with a discrete and limited court order … is an obligation of a responsible member of the community”.

The company has until Tuesday to comply with or challenge the order, setting the stage for a legal clash that experts say could change the relationship between tech companies and government authorities in the USA and around the world.

Apple strengthened encryption of its phones in 2014 amid increased public concern about digital privacy. A federal court hearing in California has been scheduled for March 22, according to Reuters.