WASHINGTON, Jan 17 — A request to Apple from US Attorney General William Barr to unlock two iPhones used by a Saudi student pilot who killed three American airmen in Florida would expose critics of repressive governments and possibly the United States to spying by officials if the computer giant agrees to the request, Human Rights Watch said in a press release.
“Apple encrypts iPhones in such a way that even the company’s own engineers cannot unlock the devices. To comply with the government’s request, Apple would likely have to build special software to weaken every iPhone’s security, opening the door to government snooping and letting hackers exploit devices,” Sputnik news agency reported the release as saying on Thursday.
Human Rights Watch said journalists, whistleblowers and activists rely on encrypted iPhones to stay safe around the world. Repressive governments and malware developers alike would be quick to exploit weakened security to harm Apple users.
On Monday, Barr said that Apple had provided no “substantive assistance” in gaining access to the Florida shooter’s phones – a charge that Apple rejected while saying encryption was vital to protecting its customers.
Thus far, Apple has refused to comply with Barr’s request, despite criticism from US officials including President Donald Trump and a possible court battle over encryption.
Apple battled the US government four years ago by challenging a court order to unlock an iPhone used by the gunman in California who killed 14 people. That case collapsed when the FBI hired an outside company that successfully opened the phone.
The US deported 21 Saudi student pilots in response to the December 6 shooting at the US Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida, due to terror-related social media posts and child pornography images found on electronic devices.
— Bernama
