Google CEO Supports Apple On FBI Encryption Issue

(RTTNews) - Google Chief Executive officer Sundar Pichai gave his support to Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) pushback against a court order to help the U.S. Justice Department unlock an iphone used by one of the suspects in the San Bernardino, California, terror attack.

Pichai wrote on Twitter on Wednesday that "forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users' privacy."

The U.S. government said in a filing in federal court in Riverside, California that Federal investigators haven't been able to unlock the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook, who carried out a December 2 shooting in San Bernardino that killed 14 people at a holiday party. The U.S. Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym on Tuesday ordered Apple to provide "reasonable technical assistance" to the FBI to recover information from the phone.

In a letter published on Apple's website, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said that such a move would create "a backdoor" around security measures hackers could eventually use to steal iPhone users' data.

On Twitter, Mr. Pichai called Cook's letter an "important post." He said that Google gives law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders. But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent.

Pichai said in the Twitter, "Looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue."