NEW YORK (AP) – On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December. Specifically, the government wants Apple to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phone’s data after too many unsuccessful attempts to guess the passcode. Apple has helped the government before in this and previous cases, but this time Apple CEO Tim Cook said no and Apple is appealing the order.
What’s the big deal? Why isn’t Apple cooperating, and what does this mean for ordinary iPhone users? AP explains:
WHY ALL THE FUSS?
The clash brings to a head a long-simmering debate between technology companies whose business relies on protecting digital privacy (except, ahem, where advertising is concerned) and law enforcement agencies who say they need the ability to recover evidence or eavesdrop on the communications of terrorists or criminals to do their job. This is the first major case that requires the two sides to present their arguments in court, so it could ultimately affect millions of smartphone users.
IT’S JUST ONE IPHONE. AND THIS COULD HELP CATCH TERRORISTS. SO WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL?