FBI, in aid of the US Justice Department, is mulling all means to compel Apple unlocking an extremist's iPhone. The efforts are being defended by Apple or more specifically Tim Cook and supported by the tech allies like Google and Facebook.
The same tech allies have previously been accused by Apple for exploiting personal information to sell ads effectively endangering privacy. Some accuses Apple allies for becoming hypocrites when the issue of privacy appears.
Historically, Americans are sensitive about the government's power to infringe on individual rights. A cross section of Americans has rallied in favor of Apple. Leading tech companies including Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft have pledged to file legal arguments in support of Apple's position, reports ABC News.
Apple argues that creation of bypass software will make other iPhones vulnerable to future hacking by authorities and criminals. Intriguingly, the same Apple allies have objected loudly after former government contractor Edward Snowden has revealed the scope of National Security Agency surveillance program, according to a report published in Gadgets 360⁰. The companies have gone to court and Congress to limit that kind of government data-gathering. Meanwhile, they have been fighting with attempts to weaken the encryption codes of iPhones shielding messages from prying eyes. Whatsoever the total scenario is, Cindy Cohn, executive director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, has expressed satisfaction witnessing Apple allies to rally. The support may ultimately pose some hard questions on security measures of their procured information from consumers. FBI Director James B. Comey has been reported to personally challenge Cook's stance. Tension between privacy and safety should not be resolved either by corporations selling stuff for a living or by FBI, investigates for a living. Americans are the ultimate force to govern in resolving the tension, reports The Washington Post, quoting Comey as saying. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has accused Apple of fighting not for principle but for business model and public brand marketing strategy. Prosecutors in the case have revealed that the subjected phone belonged to county public health department, where the shooter Syed Rizwan Farook served as an inspector. The government intends Apple to disable the feature that wipes the data on the phone clean after 10 incorrect tries at entering a password. Using the bypass way, the government may try to crack the password attempting tens of millions of combinations without risking deletion of the data.
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