Twitter, Facebook, Woz Support Apple in Encryption Battle

Apple is gaining more support from its Silicon Valley counterparts in its encryption fight with the FBI.

Facebook and Twitter have thrown their weight behind Cupertino, which refused a court order to help the FBI break into an iPhone owned by one of the San Bernardino shooters.

Mirroring Apple CEO Tim Cook's own words, Facebook warned that the federal order to bypass security functions on the personal device would set a "chilling precedent."

"We condemn terrorism and have total solidarity with victims of terror. Those who seek to praise, promote, or plan terrorist acts have no place on our services. We also appreciate the difficult and essential work of law enforcement to keep people safe," the social network said in a statement to PCMag.

Facebook asserts that while it complies with lawful requests for user data, it will "continue to fight aggressively" against requirements that weaken an organization's security. "These demands would create a chilling precedent and obstruct companies' efforts to secure their products," the statement said.

Twitter chief Jack Dorsey expressed his solidarity in 140 characters.

We stand with @tim_cook and Apple (and thank him for his leadership)! https://t.co/XrnGC9seZ4

— Jack (@jack) February 18, 2016

Steve Wozniak also issued his support for the company he co-founded. "I don't think that the phones should have backdoors," he told CNBC.

Their statements come after a U.S. District Court judge on Tuesday ruled that Apple "shall assist in enabling the search" of an iPhone 5c owned by Syed Rizwan Farook. That includes developing and installing a new mobile operating system to allow the government access to Farook's data—a "dangerous" move Cook said would "undeniably create a backdoor."

Recommended by Our Editors

Don't Crack the iPhone: Apple Is Not the FBI's Tech Support

As a result, Apple has refused the request. It now has until Feb. 26 to submit its response to the court, according to Bloomberg.

Google and other Silicon Valley supporters spoke out this week in favor of Cupertino. It's also been a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail. GOP hopefuls are largely on the FBI's side, they said during town hall events this week. Last night, Hillary Clinton said she would encourage the government and tech community to work together on a reasonable solution, but acknowledged the complexity of the situation and stopped short of condemning Apple. Bernie Sanders had a similar response, saying he was "fearful" of a Big Brother scenario, but also of another terrorist attack.

Apple started encrypting its mobile OS by default with iOS 8; the move was largely a response to the Edward Snowden docs, which revealed that the government was using invasive technology to spy on citizens.