14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has officially joined the group of tech companies siding with Apple in the San Bernardino iPhone case, defending its Cupertino-based rival in its dispute with the FBI and the US government.
Microsoft President and Chief Legal Officer Brad Smith has said during a congressional hearing today that the Redmond software giant wholeheartedly supports Apple in this dispute, suggesting that building backdoors should not be considered a solution to break into devices.
Microsoft will thus file an amicus brief next week, Smith has revealed, which will allow the company to take part in court and offer information that could help make the right decision.
Microsoft is particularly interested in defending Apple because it has its very own case against the US government, as it’s required to hand over data stored on an Irish data center. Microsoft believes that a search warrant isn’t valid outside the United States, but the government claims otherwise as long as it targets a US-based company.
In his statement, Smith explains that the judge should not be the one deciding whether backdoors should be built into phones and emphasizes that “every case has implications for others.”
“We do not believe that courts should seek to resolve issues of 21st century technology with a law that was written in the era of the adding machine,” he says.
Congress expecting testimony on March 1
Apple and the FBI are expected to testify before Congress on March 1 during what’s the first appearance in front of House of Representatives’ Judiciary Committee since the court ruling earlier this month.
Bruce Sewell, general counsel at Apple, will represent the Cupertino-based firm. Also expected to argue in the case will be FBI Director James Comey, New York District Attorney Cyrus Vance, and Encryption Professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute Susan Landau, according to the official website.
Apple has already called for further discussions in the case and asked the Congress to chip in, so the March 1 appearance is expected to be the first step to a resolution in this techno-political soap opera.