We're used to reading about Apple in competition with someone. Apple vs. Microsoft, Apple vs. Android ... but Apple vs. the FBI? Yes, Apple is officially facing off against the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Over terrorism.
The FBI is trying to access information on the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino terrorists.
The FBI believes Syed Farook's iPhone holds valuable information. But of course the phone is password-protected. And the FBI doesn't have the passcode.
They want Apple to create software that would let them to guess the password multiple times without running the risk of triggering the feature that automatically erases all iPhone data after 10 failed attempts. In other words, the government is asking Apple to open a backdoor or create a master key so they can see what's on the terrorist's iPhone.
Apple says no way. Because they're concerned about this being another step toward erasing privacy.
What if FBI Director James Comey had texted Apple CEO Tim Cook with his request? We think their conversation would have looked something like this:
This article was written by Lauren Wethers and originally appeared on Kicker. Kicker explains the most important, compelling things going on in the world and empowers you to get in the know, make up your own mind, and take action. For more, check out the Kicker site, like their Facebook page, or subscribe to their email newsletter.