Apple, privacy and the fight against crime

Apple is well known for its dispute A with the FBI over its refusal to unlock an iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter in the USA. That dispute has led some people to characterise Apple as being ‘anti-police’, a characterisation that Apple vigorously denies.

For its part, Apple claims to comply with lawful requests for appropriate customer data. But what safeguards are in place to ensure the company doesn’t just give away info freely or inappropriately? And how does Apple balance its customers’ privacy with the fight against crime? We decided to investigate.

At the time of the San Bernardino incident, the FBI demanded Apple create a piece of software that could decrypt the shooter’s phone. Apple refused, stating that creating a backdoor