Apple Claims Founding Fathers ‘Would Be Appalled’ by Government Backdoor Demand

Apple claims that the Founding Fathers of America “would be appalled” by their treatment at the hands of the US government in the aftermath of the San Bernardino terrorist attacks.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has ordered the company to aid the FBI’s investigations and unlock an encrypted iPhone owned by San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook.

However, the company has refused to comply and is seeking to repeal the court order. They have cited their refusal on the grounds of civil liberties and that unlocking the phone would set a bad precedent for the future of data protection.

The company’s position is the source of ongoing tensions between the firm and has infuriated many politicians, customers, and the families of the victims.

But in its most recent response, Apple argued that the DOJ was manipulating the law to “resolve a policy and political issue.”

“According to the government, short of kidnapping or breaking an express law, the courts can order private parties to do virtually anything the Justice Department or FBI can dream up,” the company’s lawyers stated.

“The Founders would be appalled,” they added.

The two San Bernardino jihadis shot and murdered 14 people last December at a holiday party in a suspected Islamist inspired attack. The pair were subsequently killed in a shootout with police.