Apple Rejects Court Order To Create "Backdoor" Hack For iPhones

Apple, under pressure by the United States government, has issued an open letter to customers affirming their stance in the fight for privacy.

Yesterday, the tech giant’s CEO, Tim Cook, posted a message on Apple.com explaining why his company had refuted the U.S. government’s controversial demand to create a new operating system for phones that would allow a “backdoor” for FBI access.

The decision follows the San Bernardino shooting on December 2, 2015, in which 15 people were killed and 22 others were injured by Syed Rizwan Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik.

Investigators on the case have been attempting to unlock data on Farook’s iPhone 5C, with Apple being ordered to provide “reasonable technical assistance,” ABC News reports.

That assistance includes disabling the phone’s auto-erase function – which activates when a user has 10 unsuccessful passcode attempts – and helping with passcode guesses.

“When the FBI has requested data that’s in our possession, we have provided it,” Cook asserted in the message.

“But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.

“Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation.”

Cook went on to note the danger of such technology being introduced.

“In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession,” he said.

“[W]hile the government may argue that its use would be limited to this case, there is no way to guarantee such control,” he continued.

Cook and Apple are – rightfully – fearful that adhering to the government’s request would be like creating “the equivalent of a master key” for use on numerous other devices, long after the San Bernardino case is put to rest.

“The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” he added.

You can read the full letter here.

Though Apple believes it’s “impossible” for anyone to unlock devices on an iOS 8 or higher, some experts believe that the FBI can use the NSA and CIA to help access Farook’s phone without Apple’s assistance.

Keep an eye on this story, as it involves us all.

Photo: iStock.