LOS
ANGELES - The US government and Apple will face off in court on Tuesday in a
closely-watched case that could have wide-reaching implications on digital
security and privacy.
The
crucial hearing before a federal judge in Southern California focuses on the
battle between the tech giant and federal investigators who want help from
Apple to unlock an iPhone linked to one of the shooters in the December terror
attack in San Bernardino, California.
"It’s
a fight over the future of high-tech surveillance, the trust infrastructure
undergirding the global software ecosystem, and how far technology companies
and software developers can be conscripted as unwilling suppliers of hacking
tools for governments," wrote Julian Sanchez, a surveillance law expert at
the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington.
"It’s
also the public face of a conflict that will undoubtedly be continued in
secret, and is likely already well underway."
Apple,
backed by a broad coalition of technology giants like Google, Facebook and
Yahoo, argues that the FBI is seeking a "back door" into all iPhones
as part of the probe into the December 2 massacre that left 14 people dead.
It
also contends that the government is overstepping legal bounds by using a
statute called the All Writs Act, which dates back to 1789, in order to force
Apple to hack into the iPhone in question.
The
company says that in deciding the case, the court must take into account the
"broader context" which touches on the larger debate over data
privacy.
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