Apple pleads their case at latest launch; the FBI remains crafty

The latest renditions of the iPhone and iPad weren’t the only things on display at Apple’s latest product launch in Cupertino, California. CEO Tim Cook used the stage to acknowledge the company’s proactive stand against the FBI, ensuring his customers that Apple will do whatever it can to protect the privacy and data of its users.

The comments come on the heels of a high profile legal dispute, after Apple refused to comply with a court order to provide the FBI with software that could bypass the iPhone’s advanced security systems.

“We did not expect to be in this position — at odds with our own government,” Cook said, as transcribed by VOX’s Tara Golshan. “But we believe strongly that we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and your privacy. We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country. This is an issue that impacts all of us, and we will not shrink from this responsibility.”

“We built the iPhone for you — our customers,” he added. “And we know it is a deeply personal device. For many of us, the iPhone is an extension of ourselves. … We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy.”

Cook’s legal team was scheduled to appear in federal court on Tuesday, where witnesses from both parties would have taken the stand. That was, until the FBI took matters into their own hands.

On Monday, the Telegraph reported that the FBI had been shown from an outside how to bypass Apple’s encryption.

If the bypass happens to be successful, it is likely that it would eliminate the need for Apple to assist the FBI, likely ending what could become a long and drawn out (and expensive) legal battle.

For now, the court has only postponed the Tuesday’s hearing.

Keep an eye on the Digital Tattoo for all the latest updates on the story!

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