Apple Fires Back At FBI Court Order

In a legal brief filed early this week, Apple said the US founding fathers "would be appalled" by the Department of Justice (DOJ)'s order last month that Apple help bypass security encryptions built into the iPhone, according to a Reuters report.

The FBI last month obtained a court order to force Apple to unlock the phone used by the San Bernardino gunman Rizwan Farook. Apple has continued to fight against the legal order.

After failing to get to data on Farook's iPhone, FBI asked Apple to come up with a new version of its operating system that would prevent permanent erasure of data from the device after multiple login attempts. Apple has resisted that request.

The US government accused Apple of refusing decryption of the device in order to show off its powerful encryption aimed at protecting customer privacy. Robert Ferrini, Apple senior director, shot down the argument, saying none of Apple's advertisements promote any such capability of iOS8 to prevent law agencies from accessing data on the device, according to the report.

Apple and the government have had several arguments back and forth over the case. Technology companies including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, among others, have supported Apple in the dispute, while law enforcement agencies and families of San Bernardino victims line up behind DOJ's position.

For more details on the case, see this Reuters article.