FBI Orders Apple to Break iPhone Encryption in San Bernardino Case

A federal magistrate judge ordered Apple to create special software to bypass security features on an iPhone 5C used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook, triggering the most public battle over encryption in U.S. history. The FBI sought to unlock the device after the December 2015 attack that killed 14 people, but Apple’s iOS 8 encryption made the phone inaccessible even to the company itself.

The court order, issued under the All Writs Act of 1789, demanded that Apple create a custom version of iOS that would disable three key security features: the auto-erase function that wipes data after 10 failed passcode attempts, the mandatory delays between passcode entries, and the requirement that passcodes be entered manually rather than electronically. This would allow the FBI to use brute-force attacks to guess the passcode without destroying the evidence.

Apple CEO Tim Cook refused the order in a public letter, arguing that creating such software would effectively create a “master key” that could compromise the security of hundreds of millions of iPhones worldwide. Cook stated: “The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers.” Apple’s legal team argued the order violated the company’s First Amendment rights by compelling it to write code, and that such a backdoor would inevitably be exploited by criminals and authoritarian governments.

The case drew intense public attention and divided opinion. Privacy advocates, tech companies, and security experts rallied behind Apple, warning that weakening encryption for one case would create systemic vulnerabilities. Law enforcement argued that Apple was placing corporate interests above public safety and creating “warrant-proof” spaces for criminals. The dispute represented a fundamental clash between competing values: the government’s need to investigate crimes versus individuals’ rights to privacy and security in an increasingly digital world.

In late March 2016, the FBI withdrew its request after announcing it had employed a third party (later revealed to be the Israeli security firm Cellebrite) to unlock the phone, avoiding a legal precedent. However, the battle established encryption as a central political issue and demonstrated that some tech companies would resist government surveillance demands even under intense political and legal pressure, marking a significant shift from the PRISM era when companies quietly complied with secret surveillance orders.