Dive Brief:
- Companies had until Thursday evening to file amicus briefs in support of Apple during the company's ongoing battle to deny the FBI's request to build a "backdoor" in the iPhones operating system.
- Companies like Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, eBay, Airbnb and LinkedIn have all filed briefs supporting Apple's case. All together, about 40 companies and a few dozen individuals have submitted more than a dozen briefs supporting Apple, according to the New York Times.
- Opponents of the FBI's request are referring to the requested backdoor into the iPhone's operating system as "GovtOS." In their support of Apple, companies are raising First Amendment concerns while touting the importance of encryption.
Dive Insight:
Apple is fighting the United States government’s request to break into an iPhone used by a gunman in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif., last year. While denying the FBI's request to create software to help break into the iPhone, Apple has argued over the far-reaching implications for other devices and software. Creating software for the government that undermines encryption creates a slippery slope, the company argues.
Apple's allies, in their briefs, made arguments that Apple could lose control of their code and the court battle could have far reaching implications for other companies' information security.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department and other law enforcement agencies have shown support for the government. But in a speech at the RSA Conference in San Francisco earlier this week, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he’s “not a believer in backdoors or a single technical approach” to breaking encryption. Carter noted that data security is essential for the Pentagon's operations.
FBI Director James Comey said the case is simply about "victims and justice" and is not meant to create a precedent that would force companies to create a backdoor in their encryption.
