What you need to know
- Three civil liberties groups have lent their support to Apple's case against the FBI.
- It follows renewed calls for Apple to create a backdoor to iOS encryption.
- Statements said the FBI's request "imperils millions of innocent Americans and others around the globe."
Three civil liberties groups have lent their support to Apple's case against creating a backdoor to iOS in the face of fresh calls from the FBI in the wake of the Pensacola Naval Base shooting.
As reported by Business Insider three groups gave statements on the issue. The Electronic Privacy Information Center said:
"It's not some simple trade-off that somehow increases national security at the cost of one person's individual privacy." Butler said the bigger threat is weaker encryption, which could make it easier for bad actors to access people's devices in addition to law enforcement. The very point of encrypting a device is to provide its user with increased security, he said, whether that means protecting their financial information against cyber theft or safeguarding their home against physical theft. "People have apps on their phones that control the security systems in their homes," Butler said, adding, "What's more unsecure than a criminal being able to unlock your phone and therefore literally unlock your front door?"
The American Civil Liberties Union stated:
There is simply no way for Apple, or any other company, to provide the FBI access to encrypted communications without also providing it to authoritarian foreign governments."
Finally, the Electronic Frontier Foundation said:
The FBI's request "imperils millions of innocent Americans and others around the globe, and is a poor trade-off for security policy."
Apple furthered its own case, and in a statement to Business Insider said:
"We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys. Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers."
Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.
Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple.
