Apple says encryption to benefit hackers, criminals

New Delhi : The ongoing debate between Apple Inc and the FBI over the former’s encryption policy reached another level after Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue came in support of the company’s CEO Tim Cook saying that encryption would benefit hackers and criminals.

“The Government wants more security than anyone. The Secretary of Defense (Ashton Carter), who is responsible for the NSA, wants encryption to continue getting more and more secure. Because he knows that if we create some way to get in, criminals and terrorists will get in. They don’t want that,” Cue told Univision in a Spanish-language interview.

“I never thought I would be talking about a case in which we are against the FBI and the government. My parents came to this country for the same things, to have civil liberties, democracy. This is a very, very big case, about what the government can do. And to give such amounts of force to the government is not a good thing” Cue said, citing his own experience as the child of immigrants.

Earlier, Apple Inc had argued that a move to break into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooter would violate free speech rights, override the will of Congress and jeopardise the security of other Apple devices.

“Apple is a staunch advocate for our customers’ privacy and personal safety,” Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook had said. (ANI)