Apple CEO asked to testify on unlocking iPhone encryption

Earlier this week, a USA magistrate ordered Apple to help investigators break into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. A senior Apple executive, speaking anonymously, said the government is overreaching, and it’s unprecedented for a private company to be compelled to create a product it didn’t have.

“This is really a deep question about the power of government to redesign products that we use”, said Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor who studies data security and privacy issues.

“I think everybody who is in the business of providing mobile devices to their employees is probably taking a fresh look after these past couple days”, he said.

Apple is also arguing that creating this version of iOS would be the equivalent of creating a master key that could be used to open any iPhone, putting iPhone users everywhere at risk.

The Justice Department fired a new legal salvo at Apple Inc. Apple technically has until February 26th to comply with the order, and the court has not ruled on the DOJ’s preemptive complaint.

A hearing in the federal case has been set for March 22 in Riverside, California.

Mr. Cook says that doing what the government asks would create a “backdoor” security vulnerability threatening the privacy of every iPhone user.

“Rather than assist the effort to fully investigate a deadly terrorist attack…”

Apple did not issue a public comment Friday.

FBI investigators, already accessible to call logs and other information from a mobile phone service carrier, told Pym earlier that without passcode they were unable to look into an iPhone 5c used by Farook. The terrorist’s employer, the San Bernardino Health Department, accidentally reset the guy’s iCloud password. Prosecutors noted the four methods and their “deficiencies” in a footnote in their Friday court filing. Federal officials say they’re only asking Apple for limited assistance.

Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has voiced support for the company’s position and quickly responded to Trump’s latest move, tweeting “can we boycott Trump instead?”

Farook, with his wife Tashfeen Malik, was responsible for killing 14 people on December 2 past year in San Bernardino, California. They defended encryption as a way to protect Apple customers’ rights.

The case has quickly become a topic in the United States presidential race.

Trump followed up his rally boycott calls with a series of posts on Twitter, in which he said he uses both Apple and Samsung telephones, but “I’ll only be using Samsung until they give info”. Others said a government victory could encourage regimes in China and other countries to make similar requests for access to smartphone data.

The debate will also play out on Capitol Hill.

Meanwhile, bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee have invited FBI Director James Comey and Cook to discuss the issues surrounding encryption.