In 2016, the FBI asked Apple to provide technical support to unlock a dead terrorist’s iPhone. Tim Cook, the company’s chief executive, however, refused and warned that a “skeleton key” would have given the FBI the opportunity to unlock hundreds more devices. The decision was a political risk for Apple, but it established the company’s reputation as the US tech giant most committed to protecting its customers’ privacy.
In the years since, Apple has doubled down on its pro-privacy principles. The company has entered into a public war of words with Facebook over the ethics of its advertising-funded business model, while also making it harder for advertisers to track users across different apps. Privacy has become a key selling point of the iPhone brand, distinguishing it from smartphones that run Google’s Android software.
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