The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Apple refuses to hack killer’s iPhone
Firm says move would hit security
Apple chief executive Tim Cook says his company will fight a federal magistrate’s order to hack its users in connection with the investigation of the San Bernardino shootings.
Mr Cook asserted such a move would undermine encryption by creating a backdoor that could potentially be used on other fu- ture devices. His response, posted on the company’s website, came after an order from US Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym that Apple help the Obama administration break into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the December attack.
The first-of-its-kind ruling was a significant victory for the Justice Department in a technology policy debate that pits digital privacy against national security interests.
Noting the order on Tuesday from federal Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym in California, Mr Cook said “this moment calls for public discussion and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake”.
Mr Cook argued the order “has implications far beyond the legal case at hand”.
Judge Pym ordered Apple to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, setting the stage for a legal fight between the federal government and Silicon Valley over the ruling.
Mr Cook said the US government order would undermine encryption by using specialised software to create an essential backdoor that he compared to a “master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks”.
“In the wrong hands, this software would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s possession,” Mr Cook wrote.
“The FBI may use different words to describe this tool, but make no mistake: Building a version of iOS that bypasses security in this way would undeniably create a backdoor. While the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.”
Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik killed 14 people in a December 2 shooting at a holiday lunch for Farook’s co-workers. The couple later died in a gun battle with police.
Federal prosecutors told the judge in Tuesday’s court proceeding – that was conducted without Apple being allowed to participate – that investigators cannot access a work phone used by Farook because they do not know his passcode and Apple has not co-operated.