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Building A Backdoor to the iPhone: What Dilemmas Did Tim Cook Face?
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Tim Cook, the Chief Executive Officer of Apple, was faced with the predicament of protecting
the privacy of customer information versus releasing customer information to the Federal Bureau
This situation was created when Syed Rizwan Farook, age 28 and his wife Tashfeen Malik, age
29, killed 14 employees at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California on
December 2, 2015. Another 22 persons were injured. The employees had been gathered in the
company’s conference room for a holiday party. Syed, who was also an employee of Inland
Regional Center, had attended the party but left early. He returned later with Tashfeen and shot
the staff members. Syed and Tashfeen used five firearms during the attack. It was determined
that Syed and Tashfeen had ties to terrorist organizations. Some of the rifles used by the couple
were purchased from the next-door neighbor, Enrique Marquez, Jr. (Enrique has since plead
guilty to aiding in the killings and will be sentenced on August 21, 2017). Both Syed and
Tashfeen died in their vehicle in a subsequent shoot-out with the police. The killings were the
The FBI investigated the killings. It was discovered that Syed and Tashfeen had pipe bombs to
do further destruction. Also, based on an assessment of digital equipment at the couple’s home,
a larger assault was planned. Were there warning signs that the San Bernardino massacre would
take place? Tashfeen had sent private direct messages in 2012 and 2014 via Facebook pledging
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her allegiance to an Islamic terrorist organization. Other digital evidence at the home, including
email accounts, computer and smartphones were either erased or smashed. The FBI did find an
iPhone in the couple’s vehicle and this iPhone is at the center of this ethical dilemma.
The iPhone recovered belonged to Syed and was issued to him by his employer. The FBI wanted
to conduct a search of any communication on the phone as part of their investigation. However,
the phone was protected by a password. If the FBI failed after a number attempts to unlock the
phone, all data stored on the phone would be erased. The FBI asked Apple’s assistance in the
accessing the data. Specifically, the FBI wanted Apple to create software to decrypt the iPhone,
a “backdoor” that would allow the FBI to retrieve data in this investigation and future cases.
This software would disable the security feature that erased the data after 10 unsuccessful
attempts.
• The government wanted Apple to create something that did not exist.
• The software that Apple would be required to create could fall into the wrong hands and
• Building a backdoor would effectively make encryption a useless tool for protecting data.
• Apple would be ultimately hacking into its own users and reversing any security
With this as the backdrop, Tim Cook felt compelled to protect his Apple brand as there was the
potential to lose a substantial part of his customer base if he acquiesced to the FBI’s demands.
Apple firmly believed its customers were concerned with the security and privacy of their
information stored on the iPhone. However, if Tim Cook agreed to the government’s request
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and built the software, Apple would be assisting in the fight against terrorists. The software
In this situation, you can argue that secure phones save lives. You can also argue that a way to
unsecure phones could save future lives. Tim Cook ultimately thought it was best that iPhones
What were Cook's primary responsibilities, which would have influenced his decision to
Tim Cook’s primary responsibility was to act in the best interest of Apple’s loyal customers.
Today, cellphones are rarely used to make phone calls. Rather, cellphones are storage units of
personal information. Whether texting, emailing, making videos, accessing an app or retaining
photos, the cellphone is a personal window into our lives. Apple realized this and began
encrypting data on its phones. Apple’s encryption feature was so stringent, even its own
engineers could not extract data from phones or tablets. Privacy was a paramount issue with
Apple. Privacy was also a deeply personal issue with Tim Cook. After becoming CEO in 2011,
it wasn’t until 2014 that Tim Cook revealed to the world that he was gay.
Tim Cook also had a responsibility to the technology community to stand his ground. If Apple
had created the software, other technology companies such as Google, Yahoo, Samsung, and
Microsoft would be expected to comply and create backdoors when requested by governmental
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entities. It would set a precedent for the entire industry, not just in the United States but in other
countries as well.
Another important concern to Apple was the possibility of the backdoor software falling into the
hands of hackers, criminals, terrorists and unstable regimes. If this were to happen, the security
of iPhone data would be severely comprised and in the long-term, the backdoor software would
Lastly, Tim had an obligation to the shareholders of Apple and its brand. The iPhone
represented two-thirds of Apple’s revenue in 2016 and if Apple were to compromise the security
of its own phones, it is possible those users would switch to another brand. Apple had already
suffered an embarrassing breach of its iCloud when hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were
leaked over the internet in August 2014. Also, this was on the heels of Edward Snowden, a
former Central Intelligence Agency employee, revealing that the U.S. government had conducted
surveillance on persons without their knowledge by accessing emails, photos, videos, and phone
calls in the effort to combat terrorism. overall, there was a public backlash when U.S. citizens
learned the most intimate parts of their lives were being tracked by the government. The
backlash included Apple as users questioned the ability of the company to protect their
information.
Tim Cook says he is afraid that by creating the software, he will ultimately make a master key
that will enable anyone to crack the encryption of an iPhone. He is afraid it will ultimately aid
terrorists like Syed and Tashfeen. However, by not creating a backdoor software, he is aiding
Syed and Tashfeen. The FBI may have found evidence to assist in the San Bernardino murders
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if they had been able to unlock the phone. By not creating the software, Apple conveniently has
a way of avoiding similar FBI requests in the future. An additional concern is that Apple has
given a green light to other terrorists to use the iPhone in the future. Terrorists will use the
iPhone since the data is private and unable to be decrypted. While Tim Cook preaches that he is
making the world safer by not offering a backdoor, he is actually encouraging terrorists to use his
product.
Also, Apple is in the business of selling iPhones. Every new model of the iPhone has
enhancement demanded by its customers, Apple also used the feature to its advantage. Prior to
the iOS 8, Apple was subject to numerous national-security requests. With the introduction of
the iOS 8, Apple not only encrypted all personal information but made it impossible for its own
engineers to access the data. By not giving their engineers access, Apple provided a way to
Finally, Tim Cook had a responsibility to the victims of the San Bernardino murders. These
persons were customers of his as they were employees of the Inland Regional Center. The
Inland Regional Center had a business account with Apple and had issued an iPhone to Syed. To
overlook the responsibility Tim Cook had to the persons killed, especially when Inland Regional
Center was an Apple account, seems hypocritical. It can be interpreted that Tim Cook thought
Using Badaracco's framework, assess the ways in which Tim Cook may have resolved these
dilemmas.
According to Badaracco, there are four questions to be assessed when facing a dilemma:
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1. Which course of action will do the most good and the least harm?
3. What plan can I live with, which is consistent with basic values and commitments?
Using the utilitarian approach, I believe Tim Cook’s response did the most good and produced
the least harm. While not complying with the government’s request offered the most benefit to
Apple, it certainly did harm to the FBI. The societal impacts need to be looked at in the short-
term and long-term. In the short-term, not supplying the backdoor negatively impacted the case
against the shooters. The FBI may have recovered information that would have assisted the
investigation and given comfort to the families of the victims. In the long-term, the backdoor
could have assisted the FBI in future investigations and may have prevented future terrorist
attacks. However, the harm suffered by the FBI was outweighed by the benefit non-compliance
offered.
Tim Cook’s response best served the Apple brand and its shareholders. Apple was able to avoid
the cost and time of building a backdoor. They were able appease customers who felt privacy
was a significant factor in choosing an iPhone. They avoided breaking the law since there were
no specific laws regarding this issue. If lawmakers in Washington D.C. had enacted a law for
technology companies to provide encrypted data, Tim’s decision would have been more difficult
to make. There was draft legislation in 2010 under the Obama administration to do just that
however the law was not enacted after the Edward Snowden revelations. A similar law was
passed under the Clinton administration which required the phone companies to build digital
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As discussed previously, if Tim Cook had complied with the FBI and the backdoor had been
built to decrypt the data, the software could possibly have fallen into the wrong hands and been
used for criminal activities. Additionally, creating the software would have led to future requests
by the FBI and other government agencies causing a log jam of demands at Apple. As the article
stated for the first six months of 2015, Apple received 750 to 999 national security requests from
the U.S. government. It is safe to say this number would have increased if Apple had found a
way to create a backdoor. The only downside for Apple would be if public opinion valued
security over privacy and customers sided against Apple. Shortly after the murders, public
sentiment sided with the FBI as most Americans were in favor of the FBI gaining access to the
iPhone. In a PEW Research Center survey conducted in February 2016, 51% of those surveyed
felt Apple should comply with the FBI request for a backdoor while 38% felt Apple should not
Apple’s commitment to customer privacy would have been tested if Tim Cook went to jail for
his stance against the FBI. Tim made his decision to stand up to FBI without any repercussions
to himself or the company. Also, no fines or other penalties were imposed. With no impact to
leadership or any fines paid, the company and its shareholders were mostly spared any negative
impact.
Tim Cook took the action that best suited not only Apple, but the Silicon Valley. Executives at
several technology companies backed Tim Cook in his stand against the FBI. Sundar
secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to
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data based on valid legal orders. But that’s wholly different than requiring companies to
Meanwhile, those in Washington D.C., not surprisingly, sided with the FBI in the argument.
Donald Trump, while on the campaign trail for his presidency in South Carolina, made the
following statement.
"First of all, Apple ought to give the security for that phone. What I think you ought to do
is boycott Apple until such time as they give that security number.”
Ultimately, Tim Cook stayed true to his principles. The San Bernardino murders occurred on
December 2, 2015 but as far back as 2010, Cook said privacy was important to Apple. The
company “has always had a very different view of privacy than some of our colleagues in the
Valley,” he said that year. By late 2013, Apple made all third-party data stored on customers’
phones encrypted by default. Under Tim Cook’s predecessor, Steve Jobs, Apple was defined by
innovation and the latest gadget introduced. That emphasis shifted when Tim Cook became
CEO in 2011. With Tim at the helm, customer privacy became a high priority at Apple. Apple
most likely will continue to devise operating systems that are more and more “backdoor-proof”.
As stated by Jonathan Mayer, a computer scientist and lawyer at Stanford, “Any attempt to
mandate backdoors will merely escalate an arms race, where usable and secure software stays a
The response by Apple was the right one given the conditions at the time. Absent a federal law
in place to create the backdoor, Tim Cook made the most reasonable decision for his company.
Apple is Tim Cook’s most important responsibility as the company’s CEO and most visible
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spokesperson. To comply with the FBI’s request would only hurt his company financially
through a) the time and expense to create the backdoor; b) the possible loss of customers since
the iPhone’s security would have been compromised; and c) the data breaches and lawsuits if a
backdoor got into the hands of hackers. Also, the government was not going to reimburse Apple
For the long-term health of his company, employees and investors, Tim made the right choice.
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References
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