Microsoft has officially joined other major tech companies like Google, Facebook, Amazon and more in filing an amicus brief, or "friend of the court" statement. It's supporting Apple in its current legal fight against the FBI over unlocking an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooting suspects.
Apple has refused the FBI's order, stating that such a move could cause others to gain access to the phone via a "backdoor". The other companies that are joining the brief are Box, Cisco, Dropbox, Evernote, Mozilla, Nest Labs, Pinterest, Slack, Snapchat, WhatsApp and Yahoo. In a statement, Microsoft's president Brad Smith says:
"We've reached a critical moment in which a new generation of mobile and cloud-based technologies have far outrun the laws that protect our safety and preserve our timeless and fundamental rights. By standing with Apple, we're standing up for customers who depend on us to keep their most private information safe and secure."
Source: Microsoft
Reader comments
Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook and others file joint amicus brief supporting Apple
How many ways does it need to be said that the FBI has far exceeded any authority given to them. It's ridiculous