Google CEO says iPhone backdoor could set 'troubling precedent,' other tech giants stay mum

While most tech companies are staying silent as the encryption debate heats up once more in the wake of a judge ordering Apple to hack a mass shooter's iPhone, a handful have come out in support of the company.

WhatsApp cofounder Jan Koum emphatically backed Apple CEO Tim Cook after he lambasted the request Wednesday as Google CEO Sundar Pichai took a more cautious approach, although he did echo Cook's sentiment about a "troubling precedent."

The controversy over a so-called iPhone backdoor came after a judge told Apple on Tuesday to help the FBI hack into the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, who killed 14 in December. The company previously said it was unable to do so Read more...