Apple, FBI Update: Congress Face Off For Two Immovable Objects

In the continuing drama between Apple Inc. and the FBI, the two have appeared in congress on Tuesday. A congressional panel has been created to hear the two warring factions in relation to the court order that is forcing the tech company to provide the spy agency data from an iPhone that was used by a San Bernardino shooter.

The tech giant filed a motion on Thursday to vacate the court order saying that its CEO, Tim Cook, is ready to take the matter all the way to the Supreme Court.

Bruce Sewell, the company's legal counsel will argue in congress, that the creation of a tool that will unlock the phone would compromise the security of Apple devices running to hundreds of millions in numbers around the world.

"Hackers and cyber criminals could use this to wreak havoc on our privacy and personal safety," said Sewell in his legal remarks.

 James Comey, FBI Director was at the other end of the table facing off with Apple general counsel Sewell in congress on Tuesday. Another government official, Cyrus Vance, Jr., the District Attorney of New York, has ttestified on behalf of the government.

The Apple iPhone in question belongs to Syed Farook, an alleged San Bernardino shooter. There is information inside it that the Department of Justice would like to get its hands on.

The agency has sought the help of Apple to develop software that will bypass its security feature that could wipe out the data if the wrong password is used ten times, but the tech giant consistently refused to help.

"This is not a case about one isolated iPhone," argued the tech giant in a 65-page court filing last week.

If a "back door" access is made on the iPhone in question, it will make all of Apple's customers' "most confidential and personal information vulnerable to hackers, identity thieves, hostile foreign agents, and unwarranted government surveillance," Apple insisted.

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