Though Apple and Google may be market competitors, Google's CEO Sundar Pichai stands in solidarity with Apple's resistance to government orders to unlock the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor and whistleblower, also voiced his support for Apple, calling the impending legal battle "the most important tech case in a decade" on Twitter, reports USA Today.
Mr. Snowden called on Google to back up Apple, tweeting, "Silence means @google picked a side, but it's not the public's."
This is the most important tech case in a decade. Silence means @google picked a side, but it's not the public's. https://t.co/mi5irJcr25
— Edward Snowden (@Snowden) February 17, 2016
Mr. Pichai did take to Twitter to weigh in on Apple CEO Tim Cook's decry of the federal order. While the timestamp of Mr. Pichai's tweet indicates he posted it after Mr. Snowden called him out, it can't be said if the Google executive posted as a response to Mr. Snowden.
In a series of five tweets, Mr. Pichai acknowledged the challenges law enforcement and intelligence agencies face but is concerned about the precedent that may be set if Apple is required to "enable hacking of customer devices & data."
1/5 Important post by @tim_cook. Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’ privacy
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016
2/5 We know that law enforcement and intelligence agencies face significant challenges in protecting the public against crime and terrorism
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016
3/5 We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016
4/5 But that’s wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016
5/5 Looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue
— sundarpichai (@sundarpichai) February 17, 2016
A federal judge ordered Apple to build a master key to unlock the shooter's iPhone, which is currently encrypted. Apple, and other tech companies, say building one key, even if for the government and intended for just one use, threatens the security of every customer's device and data, and building such a key would essentially mean the company is hacking its own customers.
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