AG Barr slams Apple for not helping unlock phone in naval air station shooting case
At a press conference on Monday, Attorney General William Barr criticized Apple for not assisting to unlock a phone belonging to a Royal Saudi Air Force trainee who killed three U.S. sailors at a naval base in Pensacola, Fla., in December.
Video Transcript
WILLIAM BARR: I must also express great disappointment that it took over four months and large sums of taxpayer dollars to obtain evidence that should have been easily and quickly accessible when we obtained court orders. Apple has made a business and marketing decision to design its phones in a way that only the user can unlock the contents, no matter what the circumstance is.
In cases like this, where the user is a terrorist, or in other cases, where the user is a violent criminal, a human trafficker, a child predator, Apple's decision has dangerous consequences for the public safety and the national security and is, in my judgment, unacceptable. Apple's desire to provide privacy for its customers is understandable, but not at all costs.
Under our nation's long established constitutional principles, where a court authorizes a search for evidence of a crime, an individual's privacy interests must yield to the broader public interest. There is no reason why companies like Apple cannot design their consumer products and apps to allow for court authorized access by law enforcement, while maintaining very high standards of data security. Striking this balance should not be left to corporate boardrooms. It is a decision that must be made by the American people through their representatives.
Public safety and privacy are not mutually exclusive. We are confident that technology companies are capable of building secure products that protect user information and at the same time allow for law enforcement access when permitted by a judge as Apple had done willingly for many years and others are still doing today.
