Facebook and Twitter boldly stand with Apple in iPhone privacy case
Better late than never.
After over 24 hours of radio silence in what could be the biggest privacy issue to hit the tech industry, Facebook and Twitter threw their support behind Apple late Thursday in its high-profile fight against the FBI.
The support, which follows that of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, came more than a day after CEO Tim Cook penned an open letter to customers rejecting a court order to help law enforcement unlock the iPhone 5C of the San Bernardino massacre shooters.
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The FBI asked the court to force Apple to create a new version of its operating system that would disable the privacy of the passcode lock on the phone.
Echoing Pichai's words that the court's order would set a "troubling precedent," Facebook went one step further and called it a "chilling precedent."
"When we receive lawful requests from these authorities we comply. However, we will continue to fight aggressively against requirements for companies to weaken the security of their systems," a spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement provided to Mashable.
"These demands would create a chilling precedent and obstruct companies’ efforts to secure their products.”
Shortly after, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted that "we stand with Tim Cook."
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In the first hours after Apple published its open letter, the biggest companies in Silicon Valley remained noticeably silent.
Industry watchers Mashable spoke with credited the hesitation over backing Apple to sales relationships these companies have with various government offices and pending court cases of their own that could be complicated by any public comments.
Apple's comments also set off a fierce public debate between protecting security and helping law enforcement conduct an important investigation. It remains an open question how each company's millions of customers feel about that debate.
Privacy and consumer rights advocates were skeptical that the tech companies would speak at all. Edward Snowden appeared to goad Google into a public comment.
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On Wednesday night, Google's CEO broke the company's silence with a carefully worded five-part tweetstorm that appeared to endorse Apple's position by quoting the same arguments and calling Cook's statement "important."
Google has yet to release an official statement or press release on the matter, however.
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Reform Government Surveillance, an independent group that counts Google, Facebook and Microsoft as members, also released a gently worded statement in defense of the debate Apple kicked off.
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In the coming days, more battle lines are likely to be clearly drawn as the corporate offices of the tech industry speak up.
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Seth Fiegerman was a Senior Business Reporter at Mashable, where he covered startups, marketing and the latest consumer tech trends. He joined Mashable in August 2012 and is based in New York.Before joining Mashable, Seth covered all things Apple as a reporter at Silicon Alley Insider, the tech section of Business Insider. He has also worked as a staff writer at TheStreet.com and as an editor at Playboy Magazine. His work has appeared in Newsweek, NPR, Kiplinger, Portfolio and The Huffington Post.Seth received his Bachelor of Arts from New York University, where he majored in journalism and philosophy.In his spare time, Seth enjoys bike riding around Brooklyn and writing really bad folk songs.
