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You know the government wants Apple to unlock a phone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino massacre and is going to extraordinary measures to get the company to respond accordingly.
Apple has loudly refused, which raises the question: what's next and what happened here?
Let's start with what's next. Apple has to respond to a court order by Saturday that demands the company find a way to unlock the iPhone 5C used in the massacre.
On March 22, the government and Apple are due to appear in a court for a hearing on the issue.
What happened last week?
- It started on Wednesday, when the FBI got a court order demanding Apple create software for a "back door", that would allow the government to get into the encrypted iPhone. The phone is locked with a passcode, and programmed to erase data after too many unsuccessful tries. The FBI wasn't willing to risk that happening, so it turned to Apple for a fix.
- After refusing the court order, Apple chief executive Tim Cook published an 1100 word response on Apple's website, calling the request "chilling", and "an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers".
- Later in the week, rivals Google, Facebook and Twitter chimed in, supporting Apple. Microsoft's chief legal officer tweeted support. Amazon has yet to comment.
- On Saturday, the Department of Justice escalated the battle, with a filing that attempted to force Apple to comply with the FBI request.
"Apple's current refusal to comply with the court's order, despite the technical feasibility of doing so, instead appears to be based on its concern for its business model and public brand marketing strategy," the department said.
Later in the day, Apple spoke to reporters, and said the Apple ID on the phone had been changed less than 24 hours after government took possession of the device.
Had that not happened, a backup of information the government was seeking may have been possible.
Apple also said it had been working with the government since the initial requests came in, recommending four different ways to recover the data without building the backdoor.
This week, rallies are scheduled in 30 cities outside Apple stores by consumers supporting the company. And surely more politicians will call for Apple to find a compromise with officials.
Experts expect the case to go all the way to the Supreme Court.
Source:MCT
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