Dive Brief:
- Last week, Apple appointed a new corporate security chief, according to a Fortune report on Friday.
- George Stathakopoulos, former vice president of information security at Amazon, will take over as the vice president of corporate information security for Apple.
- The news came just days before Apple and the FBI are set to have a hearing Tuesday as part of their ongoing legal standoff over orders for the company to unlock an iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
Dive Insight:
As the corporate security chief, Stathakopoulos will work to protect corporate assets and customers' data, along with the technology used to create the Apple's products.
The new position showcases Apple's strong commitment to information security, particularly as the battle between the FBI and the company continues to escalate. The two parties are scheduled in court in hearing in Riverside, California on Tuesday, where they will be able to cross-examine the other's witnesses, Apple said.
An Apple lawyer who spoke to reporters on Friday on condition of anonymity, according to Reuters, said Apple would make Chief Privacy Engineer Erik Neuenschwander and Global Law Enforcement Manager Lisa Olle available for cross-examination during the hearing. The government will also have two Federal Bureau of Investigation witnesses available during the hearing -- Stacey Perino, an electronics engineer at the FBI, and Christopher Pluhar, the laboratory director for the Orange County Regional Computer Forensics Lab.
