Apple provides access to the iCloud backups, with a Search Warrant. The iCloud is Apple property, and the data backed up on the iCloud is provided without complaint - with a Search Warrant. This is as it should be.
The iPhone, is a product designed by Apple, but belongs to the person who bought it. Think of it as your personal Diary. It contains your health information, your personal photos, your intimate details of where you were, who you talked with, how long it took to walk up a hill, what your pulse was when you walked up that hill, any pauses you took, your medications, your conversations, emails, texts, personal notes, etc. And as such, it is encrypted and locked.
Now, the State of California owned that phone, and had access to control that phone; but neglected to exercise due caution as to how to manage that phone. Then, they gave that phone to a person who was in contact with a known terrorist group, who then journeyed to a country with known terrorist cells, then married a woman with known terrorist connections, and then travelled back to the USA and flew right through Customs (not to mentoin the No-Fly List) with not a single question asked.
Then the unspeakable act happened - terrorism happened - by known terrorist agents. And who does the FBI blame? Why, Apple of course.
They demand that Apple make a hack that bypasses the security on the iPhone 5c, because the authorities utterly cluster-f’d the system that would have normally backed up any information on that phone automatically to the iCloud, where the subpeona would have gotten it easily.
The authorities changed the password on the iPhone, then forgot what they changed it to. Detective Clousou was on the case, and he was in rare form.
The FBI then demanded that Apple develop a bypass to the security, that they designed to protect ALL of thier customers, world-wide; because the authorities bungled this case utterly, and completely. And Apple said “No”. And Apple was right to say “No”.
If you want to hack the phone, use a 3rd party to get into it - you cannot “force” a company to provide a hack, that would then be available to be used on every iphone in the world, by anyone. First off, Apple is not a slave; they are a free, private, American company.
Secondly, the reason the FBI found themselves in this situation; is because of inept technical prowess of the agents. Perhaps if they would have asked Apple at the start “Hey, we want the information off the dead terrorist’s iPhone, how do we get it?” - this whole fiasco could have been prevented.
I’m not willing to surrender my privacy; because Barny Fife screwed up.
Of course it’s your right to be totally unresponsive.
I find the subject extremely important and worthy of discussion and seek people who feel likewise.