Apple has appealed a court order by the feds to supply them with the means to hack into iphones. The feds have asked for it so they can look into the San Bernardino shooter's phone.

"We have great respect for the professionals at the FBI, and we believe their intentions are good,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in a strongly worded open letter posted late Tuesday on the company’s website....

Up to this point, we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help them,” it continued. “But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-wants-apple-to-help-unlock-iphone-used-by-san-bernardino-shooter/2016/02/16/69b903ee-d4d9-11e5-9823-02b905009f99_story.html

What do you guys think? This seems to be an issue that splits conservatives.
I think I have to support Apple on this one. As I understand it apple basically built a lock and threw away the key so I don't know what the feds can force them to do. Apple doesn't keep the data on their servers and the designed the system so even they cannot get into the guy's phone, so in reality, they cannot hand over something they do not possess.

Can a judge's order force a company to design a product?

The judge has ordered them to unlock this phone, Something which apple claim is impossible (not really impossible but it would take a bazzilian years). With regards to building back doors, The govement has aproached a bunch of tech companys and told them to do this to help with "Terrorists" .Apple and Google have been very vocal in saying NO. How m,any other company's have done it who knows? The problem you get with any back door is that it creates a weak point that others will exploit. Not to mention with the way the NSA works they wouldn't just use it when they need it they would use it all the time just because ya know in case " Terrorists".

100% behind Apple on this one. The entire letter, which is on their website, is worth the read.

If they cannot hack it they cannot hack it.   Don't understand the problem. It's like the judge is ordering a safe company to break into one of their super duper impenetrable safes without damaging any of it's contents. 

It's not too illogical that with the passcode lost, it cannot be broken into.    it's not the manufacturer's responsibility.

Also.  I don't see how a conservative could be split on this issue.  Probably not true constitutional conservatives.

That's true.  There are the big government conservatives as well.

Also.  I don't see how a conservative could be split on this issue.  Probably not true constitutional conservatives.

I haven't checks all of the republican candidate's websites to confirm, but one morning news show said that all the republicans except Cruz had come out supporting the government's request to have Apple assist in opening the device. I think Cruz had not come out with a position.

Trump and Rubio condemned Apple's actions.
http://nypost.com/2016/02/17/trump-rubio-blast-apple-for-fighting-fbi-phone-hack-order/

Apparently Cruz has come out sort of supporting the government's order and Carson as well gave a less than simple answer that seemed to support the government on this one.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kyleblaine/ben-carson-apple-is-going-to-have-to-get-over-distrust-of-go#.dvKJLOJQ8


Maybe I was wrong about it splitting conservatives, they all think apple should build a back door.

I think Paul would be the only one to be consistently conservative. I don't know why more people didn't like what he said.

That's true.  There are the big government conservatives as well.

Lol. Big government conservative, in a United States context,  is an oxymoron.

I haven't checks all of the republican candidate's websites to confirm, but one morning news show said that all the republicans except Cruz had come out supporting the government's request to have Apple assist in opening the device. I think Cruz had not come out with a position.

Trump and Rubio condemned Apple's actions.
http://nypost.com/2016/02/17/trump-rubio-blast-apple-for-fighting-fbi-phone-hack-order/

Apparently Cruz has come out sort of supporting the government's order and Carson as well gave a less than simple answer that seemed to support the government on this one.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/kyleblaine/ben-carson-apple-is-going-to-have-to-get-over-distrust-of-go#.dvKJLOJQ8


Maybe I was wrong about it splitting conservatives, they all think apple should build a back door.

I think Paul would be the only one to be consistently conservative. I don't know why more people didn't like what he said.

Guess everyone buys into "it's for the children" garbage now days.

Ah I stand corrected.... What I meant to say, is that there are big government Republicans, also.

I wish Carson came out a little more vocal with positions that separated him from the other candidates so he could get back some support. He is doomed if he doesn't turn his ship around right away. He could have taken this specific topic to stand apart from the rest of the republican candidates but he didn't.

I am kind of worried that a sizeable chunk of republican votes are idiots who don't understand what a lot of the issues.

I think Paul would be the only one to be consistently conservative. I don't know why more people didn't like what he said.

The establishment worked hard to destroy and discredit Paul and his dad. Both Democratic and Republican parties are doing their best to put forward proto-fascist candidates that can continue the Bush/Obama legacy of Constitutional dismemberment. Simply saying you support the Constitution these days can land you on a watch list.   

I know software pretty well since I worked on the development side for 12 years. I see no reason why Apple cannot do it. It is really a matter of desire. For the right agreement of silence and the right price I believe this will happen. I think Apple is holding out for a better offer. JMHO

I know software pretty well since I worked on the development side for 12 years. I see no reason why Apple cannot do it. It is really a matter of desire. For the right agreement of silence and the right price I believe this will happen. I think Apple is holding out for a better offer. JMHO

No doubt.  They wouldn't strike me as full of 'integrity' in the matter.  Lol   

No doubt.  They wouldn't strike me as full of 'integrity' in the matter.  Lol

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have this piece of software to break into the phone. How else would they test this particular security feature without destroying numerous phones in the process? I don't see any other way of testing this feature unless they are willing to sacrifice numerous phones in the process. And I doubt they are willing to do this as it is not in their best interest financially to do so.

So yeah I think their integrity is already questionable. 

I wonder how apple would be acting if this attack happened on the apple campus...

This would be done using an encryption / decryption algorithm to scramble and lock the data in the phone.

Some of these algorithms can be done with a master key to break any lock. If apple didn't incorporate one into the algorithm, then it would be as EEF stated where apple built a lock and threw away the key.

Whether they actually did or not I do not know.

Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if they already have this piece of software to break into the phone. How else would they test this particular security feature without destroying numerous phones in the process? I don't see any other way of testing this feature unless they are willing to sacrifice numerous phones in the process. And I doubt they are willing to do this as it is not in their best interest financially to do so.

So yeah I think their integrity is already questionable. 

As I understand the feature, the phone is not destroyed, the data is just wiped. Not a costly thing to test.

Apple is one of the richest companies around and although it is plausible that they have a price, I don't think they need the money. The iPhone is a huge money maker for them as well and creating a back door to their phone is a business risk for them. If they lost customer faith they could see significant sales drop. People can promise silence but never guarantee it.

I find this an interesting legal question as well. A court can order a company to turn in an item it has, but can it require a company to create/invent an item it does not have? If Apple refuses to invent a hacking software that it does not currently possess, can it be held in contempt?

UPDATE:

Apparently Apple has followed court orders to unlock phones and aid prosecutors on multiple occasions previously. So did they finally grow a spine or are they in fact just holding out for something more?

The article does explain that in those previous cases, iPhones had an earlier, less secure, operating system. The new operating systems have encryption based on the customers password itself, which makes it more secure, and essentially leaves apple without a key to the lock it made.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/apple-unlocked-at-least-70-iphones-before-refusal/ar-BBpFBbK?li=BBnb7Kz

Aaaand Trump is one step closer to losing my vote...

Donald Trump calls for a boycott of Apple products - Mashable
https://apple.news/AZvAJJOY5PVaJ43McARbSXQ