President Donald Trump is criticizing Apple for refusing to unlock criminals ' phones despite government requests .
The issue arose as part of an investigation into the shooting and deaths of three Americans by a Saudi Air Force officer in Pensacola , Florida. The prosecutor called the incident an “act of terrorism.”
Authorities have again come into conflict with major technology companies, such as Apple and Facebook, over privacy protection.
Companies claim to be trying to protect their users' personal data and privacy, which is why they use strong encryption. On the other hand, police say criminals often exploit technology for their "dirty" work and to evade justice. That's why they're asking companies to allow access to their accounts and data. Especially when it comes to serious crimes.
Trump spoke harshly about Apple
“We continue to help Apple commercially and on many other issues, yet they refuse to unlock phones used by murderers, drug dealers, and other criminals,” the US on Twitter. “They should help our country, NOW!” he added.
Apple, for its part, said it can't access data on an iPhone that's encrypted with a passcode. To do that, it would have to create a "backdoor." What the company can do (and is already doing) is hand over to the police data stored on cloud servers, which typically include iPhone backups, iMessages, etc.
Apple did not comment on Trump's tweet, but said it did not accept the company's failure to provide significant assistance when it could.
On Monday, Apple was asked to help the FBI unlock two iPhones involved in the Pensacola case.
Apple said that since December (since the incident occurred), it has responded to seven requests from federal investigators.
The company said it handed over “multiple gigabytes” of data to investigators (iCloud backups, account information, and other data). Apple said the FBI had not requested help gaining access to phones until Jan. 6. The first request was made then and the second on Jan. 8.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice emphasizes that Apple must allow access to criminals' phones.
On the other hand, the American Civil Liberties Union called Trump's request "dangerous and unconstitutional" and said it undermines the security of millions of iPhones.
"There is no way Apple or any other company can provide the FBI with access to encrypted communications without also providing it to foreign governments, which would weaken our defenses against criminals and hackers," the agency said.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the devices used by the Pensacola shooter were older iPhone 5 and iPhone 7 models. Many other companies would be willing to hack them.
