These giants and other large technology firms have been joining with civil liberties groups.
A number of major tech firms, such as Google and Facebook, have now shown their support for Apple in its battle against the American government, in the iPhone mobile security unlocking case being investigated by the FBI.
Those opposing the unlocking of the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone are continuing to grow.
In fact, there are now more than 25 large technology firms that have joined with civil liberties groups that are supporting Apple in its decision to resist the demands of the FBI and US government to unlock the smartphone. The concern is that cracking through the mobile security of the device could set a dangerous precedent for the future. Among the companies that have already voiced their support for Apple include Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Verizon and Amazon.
They feel that this could present a risk to the mobile security and privacy of their customers.
Industry lawyers have said that these tech and telecom companies have each prepared to either file or join friend-of-the-court briefs. Those who are knowledgeable of such types of cases have said that this type of large scale support has never been seen before in a situation at the magistrate judge level, which is at the very base of the federal court system.
The core of this issue is whether or not Apple can be legally required to create the computer code that would be necessary to breach a security feature of an iPhone that was used by one of the shooters who attacked and murdered 14 people and injured another 22 on December 2, 2015. The user of the smartphone was killed in a shootout with the police and the device was later recovered.
The support from the tech and telecom companies in this mobile security case, and their willingness to file legal court documents is a direct reflection of the stress those firms feel when it comes to the chance of a legal precedent that would broaden the limits of what the government has the authority to force a company to provide within national security and criminal investigations.
