Should it successfully refuse a court order to help the FBI unlock Syed Farook's iPhone, Apple will continue to strengthen its encryption, a report said on Wednesday, citing an anonymous Apple executive.
Public support for Apple's refusal to unlock an iPhone 5c used by San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook appears to be leaning in the company's favor, according to poll results published on Wednesday.
As expected, Apple intends to argue its First Amendment rights as part of a multi-pronged legal strategy designed to flout a court order compelling the company unlock an iPhone linked to last year's San Bernardino shootings.
Internet rights advocacy group Fight for the Future staged a series of rallies in support of Apple's encryption fight on Tuesday, though the nationwide gatherings managed only to attract small groups of stalwart activists.
In a letter filed last week and unsealed Tuesday, Apple told a New York judge that the federal government had asserted the All Writs Act — the 18th-century law at the center of Apple's fight with the FBI — in at least nine pending court cases beyond the San Bernardino, Calif., shooting.
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he was taken aback by a recent report quoting him as supporting the FBI in its encryption battle with Apple, calling the oversimplification of his view on the controversy "disappointing."
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said he disagrees with Apple's decision to not provide the FBI with a software workaround that breaks iOS, and instead sides with a narrow reading of the government's request for assistance that supposedly precludes wider dissemination of the as-yet-uncreated expoit.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg added his name to the list of tech leaders rallying behind Apple in its encryption debate with the Justice Department, but a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center suggests the FBI is winning over public sentiment.
On Monday, a former director of the U.S. National Security Agency — Michael Hayden — took a middleground stance on the Apple/FBI encryption debate, supporting the FBI in the short term while opposing a universal backdoor in devices.
The FBI's demand that Apple help it crack the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook has a "limited" scope, without impact beyond that case, according to a new editorial by FBI Director James Comey.
Carole Adams — whose son Robert was killed in the San Bernardino attack last year — has spoken out in support of Apple's position on encryption, saying the company "is definitely within their rights to protect the privacy of all Americans."
Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook issued a memo to his employees on Monday, escalating the war of words between his company and the U.S. government, and calling on officials to form a commission or panel of experts to discuss the implications of unlocking the iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooters.
Families of the victims of last year's San Bernardino massacre plan to file a legal brief in support of U.S. Department of Justice efforts to unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters, adding weight to the government's case against Apple, a report said Sunday.
Amid a firestorm of debate sparked by Apple's decision to fight an FBI data request, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Friday invited Apple CEO Tim Cook and FBI Director James Comey to offer testimony on the nuanced issues surrounding encryption.
In response to a Department of Justice motion to compel Apple's cooperation in the unlocking of an iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists, company executives on Friday revealed the Apple ID passcode linked to that device was changed while the handset was in government hands, effectively blocking attempts to retrieve an iCloud backup.
Donald Trump, who is seeking the U.S. Republican presidential nomination, on Friday said consumers should boycott Apple until the company complies with government requests to help unlock an iPhone 5c tied to last year's San Bernardino massacre.
Apple's complex saga involving data encryption, civil liberties and national security took yet another twist on Friday when the U.S. Department of Justice weighed in, filing a motion attempting to compel the iPhone maker to create a backdoor to unlock a secured iPhone.
Apple did "exactly the right thing" by refusing a request from the U.S. government to create a backdoor to access a terrorist's locked iPhone, billionaire Mark Cuban wrote in response to the encryption controversy this week.
Details surrounding Apple's legal battle to keep iPhone encryption intact continue to trickle out, the latest being a report claiming the company has retained the services of two prominent attorneys well versed in free-speech rights, suggesting such issues will be in play at upcoming court hearings.
Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey tweeted "we stand with Tim Cook and Apple," while Facebook expressed it would "fight aggressively" against any government actions to "weaken the security" of consumer products.
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Roger Fingas
Mikey Campbell
AppleInsider Staff
Neil Hughes
Daniel Eran Dilger
