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Apple engineers would rather quit than open iOS to the FBI

The battle between the FBI and Apple over access to San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone 5c has lately proven just how strongly the company’s employees feel about not giving the US government backdoor access to the phone.

Former senior product manager for Apple’s security and privacy division Window Snyder told the New York Times that even if Apple management were to tell its engineers to open the phone up, they would rather quit instead.

“If someone attempts to force them to work on something that’s outside their personal values, they can expect to find a position that’s a better fit somewhere else,” he said.

Former Apple engineering manager Jean-Louis Gassée also explained that there is a bit of a rebellious culture at Apple.

“It’s an independent culture and a rebellious one. If the government tries to compel testimony or action from these engineers, good luck with that.”

According to the New York Times, it would in any case be difficult for Apple to scramble a team together to work on the so-called ‘GovtOS’ that the FBI wants.

Because of the way Apple works and its staffing structure, it isn’t until very late in a product’s development cycle that different departments start working together.

“The team of six to 10 engineers needed to develop the back door doesn’t currently exist, and that forcing any sort of collaboration would be incredibly difficult, again, due to how Apple works internally,” Engadget wrote.

Engadget speculates what might happen to Apple after it has exhausted its last legal route, and it doesn’t sound very good.

“Probably something similar to what the FBI did with Lavabit during the Edward Snowden kerfuffle: daily $10,000 penalties until the company complied.”

[Source – Engadget]

 

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