To me, this is rather difficult. They are Muslim, and I hate Muslims like I hate skin cancer, so I can't exaggerate how happy I am to see that they were shot dead like the fucking pigs they are in the middle of the highway.
That being said, there is the whole privacy issue that is involved. If this was a work phone, then I could understand if their employer demanded that they have access to the phone's password, because it's theirs; never mind it's so that the FBI/CIA/Alphabet Soup can have a look, it's a work phone and it's within the employer's rights to say "yay" or "nay." If the proper agencies had the right subpoenas to facilitate hacking the phone, then hell yes run Apple over the coals with regards to hacking into that work phone.
However, if the employer that owned the phone said "no," then I'd see the agency(ies) involved seeking a subpoena to retrieve the information. After all, it's not self-incrimination if you're fucking dead.
Strictly from the privacy aspect, I applaud Apple's stance wholeheartedly. That being said, the suspects are dead, so there's no Fifth Amendment violation in play here that I know of, in addition to the fact that the employers have every right to access the phone that their employEE had access to (even if/especially if they are cooperating with the Feds). Top that off with the fact that the deceased were OBVIOUSLY guilty, getting access to the phone should only be a formality. However, I do not believe that the government wouldn't abuse that kind of access and power once Apple gave it to them, even if it was for the greater good this one time.
That being said, there is the whole privacy issue that is involved. If this was a work phone, then I could understand if their employer demanded that they have access to the phone's password, because it's theirs; never mind it's so that the FBI/CIA/Alphabet Soup can have a look, it's a work phone and it's within the employer's rights to say "yay" or "nay." If the proper agencies had the right subpoenas to facilitate hacking the phone, then hell yes run Apple over the coals with regards to hacking into that work phone.
However, if the employer that owned the phone said "no," then I'd see the agency(ies) involved seeking a subpoena to retrieve the information. After all, it's not self-incrimination if you're fucking dead.
Strictly from the privacy aspect, I applaud Apple's stance wholeheartedly. That being said, the suspects are dead, so there's no Fifth Amendment violation in play here that I know of, in addition to the fact that the employers have every right to access the phone that their employEE had access to (even if/especially if they are cooperating with the Feds). Top that off with the fact that the deceased were OBVIOUSLY guilty, getting access to the phone should only be a formality. However, I do not believe that the government wouldn't abuse that kind of access and power once Apple gave it to them, even if it was for the greater good this one time.
