Earlier this week, Apple faced a backlash from law enforcements in the US. On Monday (13th January 2020), a press conference took place regarding the shooting in a US naval base in Florida which has since been deemed as an act of terrorism.
Reportedly, Attorney General William Barr and FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich took shots at the Cupertino based tech giant after it refused to unlock two iPhones that belonged to Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani. The terrorist was a military trainee from Saudi Arabia that was taking part in an international military training program who attacking the naval base.
Historically, Apple has always declined local and international law enforcement regarding the unlocking of devices. The main reason for this is the user privacy of its vast number of customers. In the press conference, the Attorney General directed his message towards Apple and other technology based firms to provide complete assistance and cooperation once probable cause for illegal activities is ruled by the courts.
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This incident also brought up the debate regarding where tech giants across the globe draw the line between user privacy and digital evidence for incarceration. In 2015, following a mass shooting in California, Apple faced the same dilemma with federal agencies as it denied to unlock another iPhone. Since then, the FBI has turned towards Israel based Cellebrite to crack into the device.
As of right now, Apple has not given out any official statements regarding the press conference and the role the company plays in the situation. So we will have to wait and see what the incident develops into, Stay tuned!
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(Via)
