FBI wanted to take Apple to court over texts

Apple refuses to hand over real time texts saying that its iMessage system is encrypted and it cannot comply

Senior FBI officials urged the US government to take Apple to court over text messages linked to an investigation involving drugs and guns.

The move came after Apple refused to hand over text messages exchanged using iPhones to the FBI. These messages were exchanged by suspects identified in a gun and drugs investigation.

According to a New York Times report, cases like these prompted senior officials in both the FBI and US Department of Justice to advocate legal action against the tech giant.

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Apple refused to hand over real time texts saying that its iMessage system is encrypted and there is no way it can comply. Such a standoff was inevitable as tech companies embraced complicated encryption, according to government officials.

Though the prospect of taking Apple to court has been shelved for now, the issue remains poignant in today’s tech-savvy, volatile world.

Governments require access to information which they can use to protect national security but modern encryption makes sure data cannot be handed over. Apple used end-to-end encryption which means the company itself has no access to the text messages unless they are uploaded to iCloud.

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The US government is also engaged in a court dispute with Microsoft which refused to comply with a December 2013 warrant to hand over emails from a suspect in a drug-trafficking case. Microsoft maintained that the federal authorities would have to obtain an order from an Irish court as the emails were stored on servers located in Dublin.

An appeal hearing has been scheduled for Wednesday for Microsoft to overturn this order as the government still insists that the company handed over the emails.

These conflicts demonstrate corporate resistance and companies like Apple and Microsoft are going to great lengths to prove they are protecting customer information despite government interference.

This article originally appeared on Sky News