DECLINED

Apple Refuses to Unlock Gunman’s Phone

Technology is “too dangerous to create.”

In a statement issued early Wednesday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said building a backdoor to access encrypted data on the iPhone of San Bernardino gunman Syed Farook would be “too dangerous to create.” A federal judge had ordered Apple to provide investigators access to Farook’s iPhone after the company “declined to provide” it voluntarily. But Apple responded that weakening encryption would only harm law-abiding citizens who rely on the company to protect their data. “We can find no precedent for an American company being forced to expose its customers to a greater risk of attack,” the statement said. “Criminals and bad actors will still encrypt, using tools that are readily available to them.”