Fight The Power: Apple CEO Refuses To Make An iPhone OS That’s Easier For Feds To Hack

The encryption of the iPhones iMessage feature has been tripping up the Feds for some time, but now the phone’s other security measures are under fire. In the latest battle between privacy and law enforcement, a federal judge in California has ordered Apple to help authorities break into the phone of the suspected San Bernardino terrorists.  

Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik shot and killed 14 people in December in 2015. Authorities were unable to get into one of their phones because the phone was locked. iPhones automatically erase the phone after too many failed unlocking attempts. The Federal Judge demanded Apple  provide “reasonable technical assistance” to the FBI, namely, the means to bypass the security software that deletes the phone’s contents after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it. 

While Apple understands where the Feds are coming from, they fear that this will only begin a snowball effect that will put other consumer’s security in danger. 

“We believe security shouldn’t come at the expense of individual privacy,” Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in a statement on the company’s website.”The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers. We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand.“

Tim Cook went on to explain that the Federal Government wants a new “hackable” version of the iPhone software and he wouldn’t stand by it. 

“We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good. Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them. But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.

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. And while the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control.”

Throughout the statement, Tim Cook explains that he stands against acts of terrorism, and that he is willing to work with the Feds within the scope of what makes sense. However, creating software that could put everyone one else’s security at risk was not a step he was willing to take. Read the entire letter HERE.