14 DAY TRIAL // Technology companies around the world seem to unite these days to support their fellow rival Apple, which is currently involved in one of the most controversial disputes of the decade against the United States government.
A California judge has ordered Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers, but the company’s CEO Tim Cook has already announced they will oppose the order because of the security risks and privacy violations that it could cause.
Now the Reform Government Surveillance (RGS), a group that includes several large tech companies, among which Microsoft, Twitter, Google, Facebook, Dropbox, and AOL, has issued a statement to show its support for Apple and to explain that firms should not be forced to install backdoors in their devices.
Everyone’s against the use of backdoors
RGS has argued, however, that this is a very difficult case, and just like Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, asked for discussions on whether Apple should help the FBI break into that iPhone or not.
“Reform Government Surveillance companies believe it is extremely important to deter terrorists and criminals and to help law enforcement by processing legal orders for information in order to keep us all safe,” the statement reads.
“But technology companies should not be required to build in backdoors to the technologies that keep their users’ information secure. RGS companies remain committed to providing law enforcement with the help it needs while protecting the security of their customers and their customers’ information.”
Microsoft itself is yet to provide a statement on this case, but given the fact that the Redmond-based software giant has already opposed government spying programs several times, it’s believed that it’ll take Apple’s side this time too.
We’ve reached out to the company with an inquiry for a comment on Apple’s case and will post an article should Microsoft have anything to say on its own.