“Apple Inc. on Thursday asked a federal magistrate to reverse her order that the company help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone, accusing the federal government of seeking ‘dangerous power’ through the courts and of promoting a ‘boundless’ interpretation of the law,” Eric Tucker reports for The Associated Press. “The filing represents Apple’s first official response since the judge’s order last week and builds upon arguments voiced by the company’s chief executive and supporters.”
“The Justice Department is proposing a ‘boundless interpretation’ of the law that, if left unchecked, could bring disastrous repercussions for digital privacy, the company warned in a memo submitted to Magistrate Sheri Pym,” Tucker reports. “‘The government says: ‘Just this once’ and ‘Just this phone.’ But the government knows those statements are not true,’ lawyers for Apple wrote… The filing was made the same day that FBI Director James Comey defended the government’s approach during separate appearances on Capitol Hill, where he stressed that the agency was seeking specialized software for only one phone as part of an ongoing terrorism investigation.”
“‘No court has ever authorized what the government now seeks, no law supports such unlimited and sweeping use of the judicial process, and the Constitution forbids it,’ Apple said,” Tucker reports. “It accused the government of working under a closed courtroom process under the auspices of a terrorism investigation of trying ‘to cut off debate and circumvent thoughtful analysis.'”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If need be, all the way to the Supreme Court!
SEE ALSO:
Apple may use a First Amendment defense against FBI iPhone hack demand – and it just might work – February 25, 2016
FBI chief acknowledges Apple case may set privacy precedent – February 25, 2016
Gruber: The next step in iPhone impregnability – February 25, 2016
U.S. government sought data from 15 Apple devices in last four months – February 25, 2016
Apple CEO Tim Cook says iPhone-cracking software the ‘equivalent of cancer’ – February 24, 2016
Apple’s fight with U.S. could speed development of devices impervious to government intrusion – February 24, 2016
Apple to argue that FBI court order violates its free-speech rights – February 24, 2016
Apple, the U.S. government, and security – February 24, 2016
Congressman Ted Lieu asks FBI to drop demand that Apple hack iPhones – February 23, 2016
In the fight to hack iPhones, the U.S. government has more to lose than Apple – February 23, 2016
Here are the 12 other cases where the U.S. government has demanded Apple help it hack into iPhones – February 23, 2016
John McAfee blasts FBI for ‘illiterate’ order to create Apple iPhone backdoor – February 23, 2016
U.S. government seeks to force Apple to extract data from a dozen more iPhones – February 23, 2016
Apple CEO Cook: They’d have to cart us out in a box before we’d create a backdoor – February 22, 2016
Tim Cook’s memo to Apple employees: ‘This case is about more than a single phone’ – February 22, 2016
Obama administration: We’re only demanding Apple hack just one iPhone – February 17, 2016