FBI Director James Comey thinks that the current dilemma pitting Apple against the FBI over what to do with the San Bernardino shooter’s locked iPhone is the “hardest question [he has] seen in government.”
Comey also addressed the issue in a Sunday post on Lawfare.
“The San Bernardino litigation isn’t about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message,” he wrote. “It is about the victims and justice.”
“Fourteen people were slaughtered and many more had their lives and bodies ruined. We owe them a thorough and professional investigation under law. That’s what this is. The American people should expect nothing less from the FBI.”
“Reflecting the context of this heart-breaking case, I hope folks will take a deep breath and stop saying the world is ending, but instead use that breath to talk to each other,” Comey continued. “So I hope folks will remember what terrorists did to innocent Americans at a San Bernardino office gathering and why the FBI simply must do all we can under the law to investigate that.”
“I also hope all Americans will participate in the long conversation we must have about how to both embrace the technology we love and get the safety we need.”