The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) and three other technology groups filed an amicus brief to support Apple in overturning a court order to help the FBI unlock an encrypted smartphone used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook.
The other organizations are the Software Alliance, the Information Technology Industry Council and TechNet.
“Our groups have serious concerns over calls for weakened encryption and the implications they present to privacy and security,” the organizations said in a joint statement. “The All Writs Act does not authorize the government to force a company to create a new product or design a product in a particular way,” they contended.
The government’s interpretation of the All Writs Act, they added, “leaves no room for weighing critical issues like maintaining the security of individuals’ most personal information.”
Although the groups said they “have great respect for the FBI,” they said they want to find “balanced solutions which protect the safety and privacy of our citizens without damaging public trust or undermining security.”
A copy of the filed amicus brief is available here.
