Donald Trump, a leading Republican candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, has called for a boycott of Apple until it complies with a court order to unlock an iPhone 5c used by shooter Syed Farook in the 2015 San Bernardino attacks, according to Reuters.
"Boycott Apple until such time as they give that information,” Trump said at a campaign event in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. "It just occurred to me."
Trump's statement is ironic given that his latest tweets on his personal Twitter account were shared from an iPhone. Trump's comments come just two days after he criticized Apple for opposing a court order to unlock an iPhone as part of an ongoing FBI investigation into the attacks, saying "who do they think they are?"
“I agree 100 percent with the courts. In that case, we should open it up." […] "I think security, overall, we have to open it up and we have to use our heads. We have to use common sense," Trump continued, echoing his recent common refrain. Somebody the other day called me a common-sense conservative. We have to use common sense."
Apple published an open letter on Wednesday stating that the company will oppose an order from a U.S. federal judge that demands the company create a new version of iOS that circumvents several important security features, allowing access to Farook's smartphone data to assist the FBI's investigation.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said that while the company is "shocked and outraged" by the San Bernardino attacks last December, and presumes "the FBI’s intentions are good," the company strongly believes that building a "backdoor" for U.S. government or law enforcement would be "too dangerous to create."
The U.S. Department of Justice has since called Apple's privacy stance a "marketing strategy," according to The New York Times. In a court document, federal attorneys deny claims that Apple would be creating a "backdoor" for the FBI, and the department demands that the court force Apple to assist the FBI in unlocking Farook's iPhone.
Update: Trump has shared a follow-up tweet claiming he uses "both iPhone and Samsung," but he insists that he'll "only be using Samsung" until Apple complies with a court order in the FBI's investigation. His latest tweets have come from Android and the web.
Boycott all Apple products until such time as Apple gives cellphone info to authorities regarding radical Islamic terrorist couple from Cal — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 19, 2016
Top Rated Comments
Apple should not open the phone.
And in Trump's case I'm convinced he purposely says controversial things just for the publicity.