In response to the ongoing Apple-FBI encryption dispute, Craig Federighi, Apple's software engineering head, published an opinion piece on The Washington Post that echoes much of the company and CEO Tim Cook's sentiments regarding the case.
According to Federighi, the encryption technology that can be found in today's iPhone is the best data security available to consumers. Without this important feature and defense, hackers have been able to acquire sensitive information, and can use them to do harmful actions toward an individual or an establishment.
He said that his team has been working hard to stay ahead of these hackers in order to protect the data of Apple's customers.
"That's why it's so disappointing that the FBI, Justice Department and others in law enforcement are pressing us to turn back the clock to a less-secure time and less-secure technologies," Federighi said, noting that the authorities were asking Apple to go back to the security standards of 2013 and the iOS 7, which was said to be good enough at that time.
Federighi noted that iOS 7 has since been breached by hackers, with the methods to do so already out in the market. Turning back Apple's security systems by three years would expose the company's customers to the threat of hackers and stolen data.
"Yesterday's best defenses cannot fend off the attacks of today or tomorrow," Federighi also wrote, ending his piece by stating that if Apple would slow down its pace or reverse the progress that it has made, everyone will be put at risk.
The legal battle between Apple and the FBI has reached Congress, as lawmakers will now be looking at the impact of technology in deterring investigations into criminal and terrorist acts.
Apple was ordered to cooperate with the FBI in creating a backdoor that would allow the authorities to access the data on an iPhone 5c that was used by the San Bernardino shooter December 2015. The Cupertino-based company, however, refused to do so, because if such software is created, it would be a very dangerous, especially if it falls into the wrong hands.
