Republican presidential hopefuls grew critical of Apple Inc. after the tech giant opposed a court order to hack into an iPhone belonging to one of suspects in the shooting incident in San Bernardino, California.
In a public letter published Tuesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook called the directive "an overreach by the U.S. government" and that it would create a dangerous "backdoor to the iPhone."
"The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers -- including tens of millions of American citizens -- from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals," Cook stated in the later, as noted by CNN.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump criticized to company for refusing the order. He expressed that he was a hundred percent for unlocking the encrypted phone.
"This is one case," Trump said. "And we should find out what happened, why it happened, and maybe there's other people involved and we have to do that."
Arkansas Republican senator Tom Cotton had strong words against Apple. According to The Atlantic, he slammed the company for choosing to "protect a dead ISIS terrorist's privacy over the security of the American people."
North Carolina Senator Tim Burr said in a statement, "Court orders are not optional and Apple should comply."
The iPhone in question belongs to Syed Rizwan Farook who, together with his wife Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in the Dec. 2 attacks. The couple were confirmed supporters of ISIS.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation had obtained permission to retrieve data from Farook's iPhone, but attempts to access the device have been upset due to its user-generated numeric passcode. The Apple iOS comes with an auto-erase function which would wipe out all information on the iPhone after 10 attempts to log in with the wrong code.
"We have made a solemn commitment to the victims and their families that we will leave no stone unturned as we gather as much information and evidence as possible. These victims and families deserve nothing less," U.S. attorney Eileen Decker said.
Apple is widely known for its pro-privacy advocacy and continued efforts to push for consumer-friendly policies. The company sees the directive as a precedent that would give the government wider access to consumer data.
Grassroots organization Fight for the Future is planning to mobilize its members to show support for Apple's firm stand on securing its consumer's privacy and security.
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