Trump tightens the pressure on Apple iPhones to unlock

Trump tightens the pressure on Apple iPhones to unlock

Davos, 23.1.2020

In a CNBC interview, US President Donald Trump rudely called on Apple to unlock iPhones for authorities in criminal proceedings. „Apple must help us. And I am very strongly in favour of it“, claimed the president, who was still in Davos at the World Economic Forum. Then he went one better: „You have the keys to so many criminals and criminal minds, and we can do things.“

The first attack on Apple took place last week. Trump criticized Apple boss Tim Cook for rejecting the government’s demand to unlock the password-protected iPhones of the gunman who killed three people at Pensacola Naval Airport in December before he was fatally shot.

Apple stated in a statement that it had provided law enforcement agencies with gigabytes of information related to the Pensacola case, but that it would not build a „back door“ or special software to give law enforcement agencies preferential access.

Cook has so far been credited with working well with the President and his administration. As recently as November, Cook and Trump had visited the Apple Campus in Austin.

Trump told CNBC that he had helped Apple a great deal, including exemption from duties on Chinese imports in the trade war between Washington and Beijing.

The president said he was not worried about his relationship with Cook or Apple because there is so much at stake. Finally, he added, „You’re dealing with drug lords and terrorists, and if you’re dealing with murderers, I don’t care.“