Trump Demands That Apple Give Government Access to iPhones

"We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys."

Open Sesame

On Tuesday evening, Trump complained that Apple refuses to help law enforcement investigate violent and drug-related crimes.

The previous day, Attorney General William Barr had criticized Apple for refusing to unlock the Pensacola Naval Air Station shooters' iPhones or provide a backdoor that would allow the government to do so directly, according to CBS News.

Gatekeeping

While Trump's tweet blasts Apple over that refusal, the company says it's been actively collaborating with law enforcement, according to a statement published in Input Mag.

It's already possible to crack some iPhones' encryption, especially since the shooters used older models with outdated security, 9to5Mac reports. And while Apple says it fulfilled the FBI's requests, it won't let the FBI access the shooters' communications directly. Apple's logic: implementing backdoor access would make investigators' jobs easier, but it would also create a major threat to the safety and privacy of all iPhone users.

Easy Access

Apple told Input that "The queries resulted in many gigabytes of information that we turned over to investigators. In every instance, we responded with all of the information that we had."

"We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys," reads Apple's statement. "Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers."

READ MORE: Apple responds to AG Barr over unlocking Pensacola shooter's phone: "No." [Input News]

More on privacy: Big Tech Splits Over Privacy Issues, at Least on the Surface.