FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Chris Grimm – cgrimm@appdevelopersalliance.org
Statement from the Application Developers Alliance Regarding the U.S. District Court Magistrate’s Order the Apple Provide Law Enforcement Special Access to Suspects iPhone
Washington, D.C. (February 17, 2016) – The below is a statement from Application Developers Alliance President and CEO Jake Ward in response to Federal District Court Judge Sheri Pym’s order that Apple provide the F.B.I. with access to Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone.
“An order issued by a well-intended, but misguided federal magistrate requiring Apple to build new software that would effectively weaken encryption security for the iPhone raises fundamental questions about the role of government and the rights of customers. These are tense times and complicated issues, but lawmakers and the law enforcement community must resist the pressure to give-in to short-term demands and have the foresight to embrace technology and encryption as a way to protect American citizens.
“The magistrate’s decision to force an American company to create a product that intentionally weakens security and makes the entire nation less safe flies in the face of common sense and puts us all at risk. Encryption is not designed to only work sometimes. Encryption is designed to work all the time.
“Beyond the immediate and practical lies a larger issue. The consequence of a court holding the power to order an American company to create a product it does not believe should be built and that is not in the best interest of its customers and investors is far reaching and unimaginable.”
More is available here.
###
The Application Developers Alliance is a non-profit global membership organization that supports developers as an essential workforce of creators, innovators, and as entrepreneurs. We promote software industry growth and advocate on behalf of our members on public policy and industry issues. The Alliance global membership includes the world’s leading technology companies, small businesses and startups, and a global developer network.
