Whether they use Apple products or not, Americans have been wary of government encroachment on their privacy since whistleblower Edward Snowden exposed the NSA’s collection of millions of phone and email records in 2013. The recent court ruling ordering Apple to help the F.B.I. unlock an iPhone used by an attacker in San Bernardino has renewed many concerns about privacy, especially in regards to encryption. Apple subsequently announced plans to challenge the court’s request in a strongly worded letter by CEO Tim Cook. This swift PR move gained Apple many supporters in their dispute with the Feds.
A few influential tech CEOs have sided with Apple in their resolve to challenge the court ruling. Most notable among these prominent CEOs are Sundar Pichai of Google and Jan Koum of messaging service Whatsapp. On Facebook, Koum stated her admiration for Apple CEO Tim Cook and his efforts to protect user privacy. Many prominent tech professionals spoke of the dangerous precedent that giving the F.B.I. backdoor encryption would set. Public opinion remains divided, however, on whether the issue presents a national security concern legitimate enough to justify such backdoor encryption.
Fueled by support from the tech community and the principled leadership of CEO Tim Cook, Apple vows to protect consumer privacy and the integrity of its own safeguards. Apple was a bit taken aback after the Justice Department made their dispute with the F.B.I. public, but drew overwhelmingly positive reaction from the release of Cook’s letter. His angry tone was an accurate reflection of the tense discussions between Apple and the government’s lawyers. With numerous voices in the government condemning Apple’s handling of the matter, the letter is the chief PR instrument working in Apple’s favor at the moment.
Apple and its supporters are battling the Feds over the stretching of an old law, which allowed courts to issue orders if other judicial tools are unavailable. Apple has turned over information to law enforcement numerous times in the past, but this time, there’s an important caveat that is crucial to understanding the current controversy: this time, the ruling requires Apple to create entirely new software that will allow the government to surpass the existing data encryption.
Do you think Cook’s strongly worded letter was the right PR move for Apple? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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Sam Bojarski is an associate at WordWrite Communications. He can be reached at sam.bojarski@wordwritepr.com.
