Facebook, MS, Google to back Apple decryption battle

Almost everyone in Silicon Valley is behind Apple in its decryption battle with US law enforcement agencies, including the Justice Department and the FBI.

Several major tech companies including Google, Facebook and Microsoft are siding with Apple, which is currently in a unique battle with the FBI as the government agency wants to create a backdoor entry into iOS.

A report by The Wall Street Journal had stated that these companies plan to file a joint motion supporting Apple in its court fight against the Justice Department over unlocking the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino gunmen.

Twitter will also be seen supporting Apple in the motion, though it is unclear if it will join the combined filing. Microsoft's legal chief, Brad Smith also stated that the company plans to file an amicus brief in support of Apple's resistance to helping the FBI hack the phone. In addition, Facebook is also expected to throw in its legal support behind Apple.

To everyone's surprise, Verizon Wireless, a mobile carrier in the United States, has stood up in support of Apple in its legal showdown with the FBI.

A county-owned iPhone was used by Rizwan Farook, who along with his wife Tashfeen Malik, shot and killed 14 people and wounded 22 others at a holiday party in San Bernardino in December. The FBI also wants Apple to unlock other phones, which were seized in a variety of criminal investigations, where prosecutors are trying to compel the company to help them bypass the pass code security feature of phones that may hold evidence.

Apple has filed a motion in the San Bernardino case where the government requested, ''just this once'' and ''just this phone''. But in fact the government has filed multiple other applications for similar orders, some of which are pending in other courts.

Apple's Tim Cook says that the iPhone encryption debate should shift the debate over national security and privacy to Capitol Hill.

This case has drawn worldwide attention and the result might set a precedent on how the US government could spy on citizens' privacy and security.

Unprecedented unity

Apple's iOS is in a constant war with Google's Android, and Microsoft's Windows OS tries to compete with both. Apple, Twitter and Facebook battle it out in a war for content online. So what has brought together the biggest and the most powerful companies in the world?

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg said at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, ''We're sympathetic with Apple. We believe in encryption – we think that that's an important tool.''

Even though he believes that Facebook has a ''pretty big responsibility'' to help prevent terrorist attacks, giving the government access to information could backfire heavily against it. In 2015, 3.2 million users used Facebook. That's a huge number flocking to the giant's website every day, with new users added by the minute. If users feel that their data is at risk, the number of visitors would decrease which in turn, would create losses for the company.

Facebook-owned WhatsApp shares similar thoughts. WhatsApp chief Jan Koum stated via a Facebook post, ''We must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake.''

He added, ''It is important for these other applications to make statements … if people are worried about their privacy, they might stand behind those apps more.''

Similarly, Twitter and Square chief Jack Dorsey has also thrown in his support bejomd Apple in the battle with the FBI.