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Podcasts Take Two
Is there a business angle to Apple's defiance in encryption case?
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Feb 18, 2016
Listen • 7:24
Is there a business angle to Apple's defiance in encryption case?
Some have sited Apple's mixed history in turning over data to the federal government and protecting privacy.
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks onstage as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights hosts The 2015 Ripple Of Hope Awards honoring Congressman John Lewis, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Evercore Co-founder Roger Altman, and UNESCO Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis at New York Hilton on December 8, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for RFK Human Rights)
NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks onstage as Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights hosts The 2015 Ripple Of Hope Awards honoring Congressman John Lewis, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Evercore Co-founder Roger Altman, and UNESCO Ambassador Marianna Vardinoyannis at New York Hilton on December 8, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for RFK Human Rights)
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Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images
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Some have sited Apple's mixed history in turning over data to the federal government and protecting privacy.

In the battle between Apple and the FBI, folks are starting to take sides, with WhatsApp founder and Facebook board member Jan Koum calling it "a dangerous precedent" and privacy advocates supporting Apple's vow to resist the order.

Others have cited Apple's mixed history in the past when it comes to aiding federal authorities in investigations and defending privacy. On Tuesday, Apple said it will not comply with a judge's order to help authorities unlock an iPhone used by one of the shooters in San Bernardino's mass killing last December.

What may also be at stake is Apple's commercial interests, says Matt Krantz, markets and stocks reporter for USA Today.