Trump calls for Apple boycott

However, soon after calling for the boycott, Trump in a tweet acknowledged he carries two phones – iPhone and Samsung.

Apple is standing fast on its decision not to help – publicly, at least – the Federal Bureau of Investigation to gain access to the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the San Bernardino terrorists.

“No one outside Apple would have access to the software required by the order unless Apple itself chose to share it”, the government said.

Trump, front-runner for the Republican nomination ahead of the November 8 presidential election, made the off-the-cuff comment at a town hall-style event at a country club, a day before the state’s nominating contest.

“I think it’s going to be a reason for people to upgrade or move to Apple or back to Apple”, said John Feland, CEO of Argus Insights, a research company that specializes in smartphone marketing. How do you like that?

The court order sets the stage for a legal clash that could determine whether tech companies or government authorities get the final say on just how secure devices like smartphones can be.

Trump campaign spent $108 at the Apple Store past year. Prosecutors had opposed the request, the person said.

Can Apple avoid unlocking that phone after the US federal magistrate order?

The Justice Department fired its first salvos in court papers asking Pym to order Apple to create sophisticated software to let investigators break in to the phone.

The FBI claims that it’s only to be used for cases that need it, while Apple argues that privacy should outweigh their request, adding that creating that kind of technology could be unsafe in the wrong hands.

Cook, in a public letter this week challenging the court order, called the implications of the government’s demand “chilling”. A compelling argument has been found by the federal law officials in the San Bernardino case.

American Civil Liberties Union: The ACLU and the Stanford Center for Internet and Society have filed a Freedom of Information Act seeking records that will show how the government has used a law called the All Writs Act to make devices manufacturers unlock phones on behalf of law enforcement.

Other leading tech companies, including Google, Twitter and Facebook, have voiced support for Apple’s position. The survey also found almost three-fourths of USA adults consider it “very important” to be in control over who can retrieve personal information about them.

And it also rejects the idea that the court order placed an unreasonable burden on the company, saying Apple already has the technical wherewithal to satisfy it.

Bipartisan leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, meanwhile, announced late Friday that they have asked Cook and FBI Director James Comey to appear before the panel to further air the encryption debate.