As the clock keeps ticking in the legal system, we have battle of wits between Apple and the FBI.
The issue is NOT so clear cut as the government seems to propose: the FBI is asking to unlock an iPhone 5C from one of the San Bernardino shooters which is pin protected in order to retrieve information which a) could be essential to find other terrorists in the US or b) totally irrelevant since it was a company provided cellphone. The iPhone encryption protects your phone if it’s stolen, but the user of this iphone is dead and the US government wants its data!
Apple’s valid argument is that a) if they do this “once”, all other governments of the world would line up to get a copy of this program b) will prove that their flagship product is “crackable” and not so secure [plus encourage competing manufacturers or security vendors to come up with similar solutions IF the cat gets out of the bag]. Also c) Apple is NOT obligated under the All Writs Act of 1789 because the software does not currently exist.
Well, good news for the FBI, John McAfee [yes, from McAfee anti-virus] offered to unlock the terrorist’s iPhone for the FBI for FREE. END OF STORY. That’s what the FBI is looking for, correct? McAfee wrote. “If you accept my offer, then you will not need to ask Apple to place a backdoor in its product, which will be the beginning of the end of America.”
“Ordering a company to hack one targeted system is clearly the first step to ordering them to backdoor them all..” Civil liberties groups warned the fallout from the San Bernardino dispute could extend beyond Apple.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-mcafee-fbi-iphone_us_56c62bbee4b0928f5a6b3f7f
http://wtop.com/politics/2016/02/big-tech-companies-belatedly-join-apple-in-encryption-fight/
And this one has a good technical explanation: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/02/17/apple_iphone_5c/