Apple's chief attorney, Bruce Sewell, will testify before the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, where he will argue that any decisions on mobile encryption should be decided by representatives of the people, not a warrant request based on a 220-year-old statute.
Although CEO Tim Cook could, theoretically, be put in prison if Apple continues to refuse the order to help the FBI unlock an iPhone belonging to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, more likely is that the company itself might be held in contempt, according to a pair of experts weighing in on the matter.
According to a court filing prepared by Apple, the company first received — and responded to — FBI requests for information related to last year's deadly shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., just three days after the attack.
Apple lawyer Ted Olson, who some view as one of the most prominent practicing attorneys in the U.S., on Friday said the government appears to be on the path to "limitless" power in its court battle with Apple.
The work-issued iPhone used by one of the shooters in the San Bernardino terrorist attack likely has "nothing of any value" saved on it, the police chief of the town has admitted in a new interview, though he still believes Apple should help the FBI crack into the encrypted handset.
Apple is hiring Frederic Jacobs — a developer responsible for the secure chat app Signal — to work on the CoreOS security team this summer, a report noted on Friday.
Speaking in front of a Congressional intelligence panel, FBI Director James Comey admitted that the outcome of an Apple-FBI battle over unlocking an iPhone will likely set a legal precedent, despite recent suggestions to the contrary.
At the last Republican debate before the "Super Tuesday" primaries, the remaining candidates for U.S. president said they believe Apple should help the FBI unlock the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
As expected, Apple on Thursday filed a motion to vacate a federal court order that would require it to assist the FBI in unlocking an iPhone linked to San Bernardino terror suspect Syed Rizwan Farook, saying law enforcement demands for a "Government OS" set a dangerous precedent for the public at large.
Chiming in on the Apple-FBI encryption debate, Rev. Jesse Jackson on Thursday came out in opposition of the U.S. government's order demanding Apple create an iPhone encryption workaround, while praising CEO Tim Cook's fight for civil liberties.
Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Twitter are all expected to file amicus briefs in support of Apple, which is refusing to help the FBI unlock an iPhone 5c belonging to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook over wider data privacy concerns.
The U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on encryption next Tuesday, and Apple's top attorney, Bruce Sewell, will be in the nation's capital for the discussion.
Actions by the leadership of the Federal Bureau of Investigation over the past month related to the San Bernardino encryption issue demonstrate a shocking level of dishonest and callous disregard for the nation's core principles of democracy. FBI director James B. Comey should issue a formal apology or resign his post, AppleInsider's Daniel Eran Dilger argues.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation does not believe its battle with Apple will result in a legal precedent that could weaken encryption protections across the board if the bureau prevails, director James Comey told the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday.
As a result of Apple's refusal to help the FBI unlock San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone, the Maricopa County, Ariz. Attorney's Office has announced that it will not allow workers to choose Apple's handsets as upgrades or replacements.
Amid government pressure on Apple to build an iOS encryption workaround, the company is said to be developing stronger iPhone and iCloud safeguards that would render obsolete any exploit it might be compelled to create.
In a lengthy interview with ABC News anchor David Muir, Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated that the repercussions of complying with FBI requests to build an iOS backdoor don't end with one smartphone, but instead have implications that ripple far beyond to hundreds of millions of iOS device owners.
House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Senate Intelligence Committee member Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Wednesday announced plans to push forward a bill that would see the formation of a special congressional commission to address complex digital privacy issues, a hot button topic recently making headlines thanks to Apple's legal battle with the DOJ.
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook will take to the airwaves this evening in an exclusive interview with ABC's World News Tonight with David Muir, where he will explain why his company refuses to create a "backdoor" to unlock iPhones for the FBI.
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Neil Hughes
Roger Fingas
Mikey Campbell
AppleInsider Staff
Daniel Eran Dilger
