Privacy

Here’s what Apple’s chief lawyer will tell Congress tomorrow regarding FBI’s controversial request

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 29, 2016

As you know, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has obtained a court order demanding that Apple produce a special version of iOS with decreased security to help government spooks brute-force their way into an iPhone 5c which belonged to San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.

Following the interview that Apple CEO Tim Cook gave to ABC News, in which he said that the government is asking for “the software equivalent of cancer,” Apple's Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Bruce Sewell, will testify before the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.

Here's his opening statement in which he challenges the government's request and argues that the FBI should have no say over the products American companies create.

How to view and clear Terminal command history on Mac

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated November 11, 2025

In this simple tutorial, we’ll show you how to view and clear the history of commands typed into the Terminal app of your Mac.

Apple officially responds to court, asks it to vacate order to help FBI

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 1, 2018

Apple on Thursday filed a motion to vacate the court order demanding it help the FBI break into an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino attacks. The motion (via The Verge) is the company's first legal response to the order, which was handed down by a federal judge last week.

Rhetoric in the filing echoes what we've been hearing from CEO Tim Cook over the past week: Apple refuses to help the FBI break its own security because it sets a dangerous precedent that has major implications. It also offers some insight into the legal stance Apple plans to take.

Here’s a recap of what Tim Cook said about the FBI and iPhone hacking on ABC News

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 25, 2016

Apple CEO Tim Cook was on ABC News last night, spending some time with reporter David Muir in his minimalist Cupertino, California office discussing the FBI case and how the government's demands risk undermining every iPhone owner's security.

For those who didn't have the time to sit through the 60-minute interview, Cook reiterated Apple's stance that the government's demand that it create a one-off version of iOS with decreased security to help get data off the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5c sets a dangerous precedent, likening it to “the software equivalent of cancer.”

Can’t the Feds exploit San Bernardino shooter iPhone’s chips to break into encrypted data?

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 28, 2016

The world's most powerful government has locked horns with the world's most powerful corporation in a battle that Apple implies has the potential to affect civil rights for a generation. As you know, the Justice Department gave Apple until February 26 to respond to its court order.

In it, the government is asking Apple's engineers to create a special version of iOS that would allow brute-force passcode attacks on the shooter's phone electronically.

Now, some people have suggested that the government's experts could make an exact copy of the phone's flash memory to brute-force its way into encrypted data on a powerful computer without needing to guess the passcode on the phone or demand that Apple create a version of iOS that'd remove passcode entry restrictions.

While this is technically feasible, the so-called de-capping method would be painstakingly slow and extremely risky, here's why.

San Bernardino victims side with FBI in iPhone decryption fight

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2016

Lawyers representing families of the victims of the San Bernardino shooting massacre plan to file a legal brief in support of the United States Department of Justice's demand that Apple help unlock the shooter's iPhone 5c by creating a one-off version of iOS to permit brute-force attacks electronically, without the phone slowing down the process or erasing its contents after 10 failed attempts.

According to Reuters, Stephen Larson, a former federal judge who is now in private practice and represents families of the victims, was contacted a week ago by the Justice Department and local prosecutors about representing the victims, prior to the dispute becoming public.

Apple posts public Q&A on FBI request

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2016

In addition to an all-hands memo issued to troops Monday about the government's demand that it create what would basically be an 'FBiOS,' a software backdoor to help unlock San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, Apple has also posted a public Q&A on its website this morning, showing a company unwavering in its position that fulfilling the request would constitute a dangerous precedent.

Titled “Answers to your questions about Apple and security,” the webpage details the case and provides some more technical information about the government's request, while also answering some of the burning questions such as whether Apple has unlocked iPhones for law enforcement in the past.

Tim Cook writes memo to employees reiterating Apple’s stance on FBI request

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 22, 2016

After issuing an open letter to Apple users regarding the FBI's request to create an iPhone backdoor to help hack into the San Bernardino shooter's locked iPhone 5c, CEO Tim Cook on Monday reinforced his company's position in an internal memo to troops.

According to the all-hands memo, a copy of which was obtained by John Paczkowski of Buzz Feed, Apple wants the Justice Department to withdraw a court order that would force it to create a special version of iOS with decreased security measures.

Apple vs the FBI: a recap of this week’s events

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 1, 2018

When a federal judge in California ordered Apple to aid the FBI in an investigation earlier this week, she sparked what many believe is the most important privacy debate in recent memory. The FBI wants access to the passcode-locked iPhone of one of the shooters involved in last year's San Bernardino massacre, and it wants Apple to help it break in.

At a high level, this seems pretty simple: the FBI has bad guy's phone; it wants to use it to try and stop other bad guys; it needs Apple's help to do that. But you don't have to zoom in very far to see that it's much more complex. Apple refused to help the FBI, saying that the request "undermines the very freedoms and liberty our government is meant to protect."

That was on Wednesday. Here is everything that has happened since.

Apple vehemently opposes FBI request to create iPhone backdoor in San Bernardino court case

Christian Zibreg ∙ February 17, 2016

Apple is vehemently opposing the FBI's request to create a backdoor in iOS that would permit authorities to access encrypted data on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. In an open letter to all customers posted on the company's website, CEO Tim Cook acknowledges that Apple believes that the FBI's intentions are good and makes note of the fact that his company has done “everything that is both within our power and within the law” to help the authorities.

“But now the U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create,” he wrote. “They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone.”

Judge orders Apple to help FBI recover data from San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated May 1, 2018

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered Apple to help investigators access encrypted data on the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters, reports NBC News. The ruling says that the Cupertino firm must provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the FBI in recovering data from the handset.

More specifically, the device is an iPhone 5c that belongs to Syed Farook, who with his wife Tashfeen Malik murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California last year. The phone is locked with a passcode, and prosecutors say data found in Farook's iCloud account suggests it could contain evidence.

Private Internet Access review: a great VPN at a great price

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated October 6, 2022

The quest for internet privacy and security is no game these days; hackers with malicious intent are really out there and they want your valuable personal information.

One way to protect yourself is with a virtual private network (VPN), but there are lots of VPN options out there to choose from – both free and paid. Picking a VPN that's right for you can be tough, and many people are concerned about their privacy while online.

In this piece, we'll be giving you our opinion on the Private Internet Access VPN; a paid VPN service that holds a solid reputation among its many users.