Apple Inc.'s battle with the FBI has attracted more protagonists. The technology giant has gained three digital rights groups which are fighting against the arbitrary collection of private date from communication networks.
Three separate groups have come to the aid of Apple to fight against a dangerous precedent that may compromise individual privacy. Two members of the group, Wickr Foundation and Access Now have sought permission on Wednesday to file friend-of-the-court documents.
The two, active in fighting for digital rights, said they are worried about "the impact that the intentional weakening of digital security would have on global human rights."
Another activist group, the American Civil Liberties Union joined in the fray saying that the effort by the FBI to force Apple to assist in its investigation raises vital "constitutional questions regarding the limits of law enforcement authority."
In a report published on its website, ACLU said that "While the government's investigation is an important one, the legal order it has obtained crosses a dangerous line: It conscripts Apple into government service and forces it to design and build what is, in effect, a master key that could be used as a mold to weaken the security of an untold number of iPhones."
It is not that Apple is unwilling to help the FBI. Actually, the tech giant generally cooperated with the agency's investigation. But when it came to the FBI's latest demand of devising a back door tool to unlock a certain iPhone, Apple stood its ground.
The computer giant has developed a massive amount of resources in securing its smartphones. As such, it does not have a ready tool to hack into the devices of its mobile phone users.
"We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business," stated Tim Cook, Apple CEO.
