Apple, one of the most influential private companies in the world and producer of the iPhone, became engaged in a legal debate regarding a recovered phone from one of the terrorists. In an attempt to gain more information about the attack, the government reached out to Apple in order to help unlock the phone. The phone, which was encrypted preventing data from being recovered, was only able to be unlocked by Apple. Apple refused stating that they could not undermine the security of the applications and that a government had never set a precedent for such actions. As a result, Apple opposed the order and faced a judge issued court order to unlock the phone.
Eventually, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was able to unlock the phone through backdoor methods through collaboration with third parties. Apple’s CEO Tim Cook released a statement on their view on privacy stating “Finally, I want to be absolutely clear that we have never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed access to our servers. And we never will.” This is a very important change in policy from private companies. From the start of the modern technological age, private companies have for the most part been on board with the decisions governments have made in terms of what is best for the public and how their data is handled. This strong stance against the demands made by the United States government have set a precedent that supports the personal user’s privacy more than the governments need for their information.
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