Wading into the controversy involving Apple and FBI over access to encrypted data on the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has called for a boycott of the tech giant’s products until it complies with a court order to unlock the phone.
“Apple ought to give the security for that phone, OK. What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such a time as they give that security number,” Trump said at a campaign event ahead of Saturday’s South Carolina primary, adding: “How do you like thatIJ I just thought of it. Boycott Apple.”
Trump’s comments, affirming primacy for law enforcement agencies over privacy concerns when dealing with such a key national security issue, came after Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recent open letter opposing the court order, saying his company is being forced to “build a backdoor to the iPhone” that could be used to access other users’ phones as well and undermine individual freedoms and liberty.
A federal judge had ordered Apple to cooperate with FBI and help it gain access to encrypted data as part of its ongoing investigations, setting off a privacy battle in which virtually all big tech companies including Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Twitter have rallied behind Apple.
Attacking the Apple CEO, Trump said, “Tim Cook is looking to do a big number, probably to show how liberal he is. But Apple should give up, they should get the security, you’ll find other people.”
Trump, who has been trying to project himself as the strongest of candidates on national security, announced that he will use his Samsung instead of the iPhone until Apple falls in line on this security issue.
Curiously enough, even as Trump was speaking, his Twitter account tweeted a Fox News poll from an iPhone. But later in the day, he tweeted: “I use both iPhone & Samsung. If Apple doesn’t give info to authorities on the terrorists I’ll only be using Samsung until they give info.”
“Hopefully others will follow suit. Our country needs & should demand security. It is time to get tough & be smart,” Trump tweeted.
Other Republican candidates have tried to do a tightrope walk on the issue. Even while backing FBI in this specific instance, Senator Ted Cruz agreed that Apple should not be forced to put a “backdoor on every cellphone everyone has’. Senator Marco Rubio dubbed it “a very complicated issue’’ and called for a solution that gives access to law enforcement agencies in some cases even while safeguarding the privacy concerns of the public at large.