Watch: Apple, FBI face off in Congress over iPhone encryption
The heated battle over the FBI's demand that Apple help unlock an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino killers shifted to Capitol Hill today. FBI Director James Comey and Apple's general counsel, Bruce Sewell, testified separately at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on encryption and the tension between privacy and security.
Comey warned that public safety may suffer if Apple and other Silicon Valley companies can defy court-ordered warrants to cooperate with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
“There is already a door on the iPhone," he said, referred to the encrypted password. "We are asking Apple to take the vicious guard dog away and let us pick the lock."
The debate has created unusual alliances in Congress, as libertarian Republicans have lined up with civil liberties Democrats to support Apple stand on privacy.