Apple: FBI seeks ‘dangerous power’ in fight over phone

If the government can compel Apple to help unlock the iPhone’s data “what happens when China does the same?” she asked.

– On the 1789 All Writs Act, which gives the courts wide authority to help law enforcement, Apple said the law does not allow for “a roving commission to conscript and commandeer Apple”. Security and legal experts dismissed the Department of Justice’s arguments that the case is a narrow exception. The company says the request in unconstitutional and a vast overreach.

Apple is expected to argue that being forced to develop software to disarm the iPhone’s security would violate constitutional free-speech protections.

As of Friday, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft have pledged to support Apple with what is called a “joint amicus brief”, or “friend of the court” filing.

Apple filed its formal objection in the case Thursday.

“The government says “Just this once” and “Just this phone”.

Apple also said the order would force it to code a now nonexistent operative system – the “Government OS” or “GovtOS”- to hack Farook’s device, and the whole operation would put an excessive burden on the company in terms of money and staff.

Apple fired back at the U.S. government in the encryption standoff, asking a federal court to dismiss an order that would force the company to help unlock an iPhone.

“It’s really about who do we want to be as a country and how do we want to govern ourselves”, Comey told the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee. Ex parte is a legal term referring to a judge making a decision without needing all parties – in this case, Apple – present.

Levchin said the court order to “write code to surveil its customers is unprecedented”.

“The government says: “Just this once” and ‘Just this phone.’ But the government knows those statements are not true”, lawyers for Apple wrote.

Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire December 2 at a holiday meeting of his San Bernardino County co-workers.

He said that creating a backdoor into the iPhone would be the software equivalent of cancer. “They are not asking for some general thing, they are asking for a particular case”. The deadline for filing is March 3, and the tech giant expects major support from nearly every tech industry member, so that the outcome can be in the best interest of the public.