As has been widely reported, in February, a magistrate judge ordered Apple Inc. to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the people involved in the San Bernardino shootings. In a public letter, Apple CEO Tim Cook fought back against the ruling, writing that circumventing the iPhone’s encryption as the FBI requests would require creating intentionally flawed software, which would endanger customer privacy and set a dangerous precedent. Apple later filed a motion opposing the court order.
Bruce Sewell, JD '86, Apple's General Counsel and Senior Vice President of Legal and Global Security, is at the center of Apple's legal efforts on the case. He most recently testified for five hours on March 1 before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary in a hearing that also included FBI director James Comey.
As part of his statement for the record, Mr. Sewell reiterated Apple's respect for law enforcement while also noting that the Court has ordered the company to give the FBI something that doesn't exist: an operating system that Apple deems too dangerous to create.
"The FBI is asking Apple to weaken the security of our products," he said. "Hackers and cyber criminals could use this to wreak havoc on our privacy and personal safety. It would set a dangerous precedent for government intrusion on the privacy and safety of its citizens."
The full hearing is available to watch on the House Judiciary's Committee's YouTube channel.
Bruce Sewell earned a JD from GW Law in 1986. He has continued to stay involved with the law school, serving as 2014 Diploma Ceremony keynote speaker. He also established a scholarship in 2015 with his wife Cynthia Gozigian Sewell, BA '82, MBA '87, which supports JD students studying in the field of intellectual property law.