Encryption Tensions Flare Between U.S. Government and Tech Industry – Morning Brew

The encryption wars are alive and well.

On Monday, Attorney General William Barr asked Apple to unlock two iPhones used by the gunman in last month's shooting at a naval air base in Pensacola, FL. President Trump chimed in last night, tweeting that Apple should step up to the plate and unlock the phones.

Apple said it's given law enforcement "all of the data in our possession," meaning the shooter's iCloud account and transaction data. But it won't unlock the phones...because they're encrypted. Apple has enhanced security protections for iPhones so it can't see customer data, and the company has built its entire privacy marketing pitch around this premise.

The government has requested that tech companies add backdoors into their encrypted services to allow law enforcement to peep on their contents if necessary. In October, the U.S., U.K., and Australia asked Facebook to pause plans to build end-to-end encryption into its products.

Tech companies say they can't build backdoors for good guys only. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella weighed in on Monday, calling backdoors "a terrible idea," though he thinks there's another solution.

Next steps:We could see a legal showdown between Apple and the government, the NYT reported, a redux of previously unresolved court battles.

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Encryption Tensions Flare Between U.S. Government and Tech Industry - Morning Brew