Twitter, Reddit and more file brief to support Apple vs the FBI

Several tech companies have voiced support for Apple in its battle with the FBI over iPhone encryption. Today, lawyers for a group of 16 companies, including Twitter, filed a brief formally backing Cupertino in regards to the case. The group also includes Airbnb, eBay, GitHub, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Reddit, Square and Squarespace, among others. In the brief, the group explains that its members “regularly assist in law-enforcement investigations” and look to make sure “government requests for user data are made within the bounds of applicable laws.”

“The government’s demand here, at its core, is unbound by any legal limits,” the brief explains.

By filing the legal document, the group is urging the US District Court in California to deny the motion to compel Apple to comply with the FBI’s request. If you’ll recall, Apple already filed a motion to vacate that request, citing that what the FBI is asking of the company is unconstitutional. This latest group of over a dozen companies joins the likes of Microsoft in filing paperwork to formalize support of Tim Cook & Co. in the case. You can browse the full text of the brief down below.

Separately, AT&T also filed a “friend of the court” brief that also urges the California court to vacate its previous order. “Without question, the government should use every lawful means to investigate those crimes, and that includes compelling Apple’s cooperation to the full extent permitted by law,” explains AT&T SVP and general counsel David McAtee in a blog post. “In this case, however, the government seeks more than what can be supported under the law as it is written today.”

Source: Reuters Business (Twitter), CNBC Now (Twitter)