Apple has one again found itself parked on the battle lines between individual privacy and national security. Legal filings unsealed on Tuesday reveal that US federal magistrate Judge Sheri Pym has ordered Apple to help security agencies override several of the security features of an iPhone 5c which belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook. The order came at the request of the Justice Department, as months after the shooting which left 14 dead the FBI have still failed to gain access to Mr Farook's phone. However, Apple chief executive Time Cook has said he intends to resist the court order to build a software 'back door' for the FBI, describing the request as 'chilling' and 'an overreach by the US government.' Mr Cook has called for a public debate on the issue, arguing that Apple's compliance with the court order would permanently threaten the security of all iPhone users, and have broader implications 'far beyond the legal case at hand.'

Security features

There are two iPhone 5c security features keeping security intelligence agents locked out of Mr Farook's phone. The first is an 'auto-erase' function which clears all data stored on the phone if an incorrect pass-code is entered too many times. The second is a 'slow down' function designed to stop hackers and thieves accessing the phone by simply entering all possible pass-codes. With each incorrect guess the iPhone slows down further, so that it would reportedly take over 5 years to try all pass-code combinations. The court order requests that Apple build a software update for the phone which would disable the auto-erase and slow-down functions, leaving the FBI free to crack the phone's pass-code and access Mr Farook's data including text messages, emails, addresses and photos.

'Too dangerous to create'

Mr Cook has argued that to build the 'dangerous' software back-door as ordered would compromise the individual security of tens of millions of American iPhone users. 'The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security achievements that protect out customers [from] sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,' he said in a statement this week. Digital rights body Electronic Frontier Foundation has backed Mr Cook's stance against creating an iPhone 'master key', arguing that once created it will be used again and again to access the devices of other citizens as governments' see fit. 'We can all imagine the myriad ways that this new authority could be abused,' said EFF deputy executive director and general counsel Kurt Opsahl.

Knock-on effects

In a letter of opposition published this week, Mr Cook has also called attention to the 'chilling' implications of the FBI's use of the 225-year-old All Writs Act of 1789 justify ordering Apple to undermine the security of its own products. The law gives courts broad authority to ensure that their orders are fulfilled. 'If the government can use the All Writs Act to make it easier to unlock your iPhone, it would have the power to reach into anyone's device to capture their data,' said Cook, arguing that the government could potentially extend its demands and order Apple to build surveillance software into all devices. 'We are challenging the FBI's demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications,' Mr Cook concluded.

Sources: The Guardian; The Wall Street Journal