Here's what Google's CEO just said about Apple's battle with the FBI

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Sundar Pichai

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Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai just weighed in on Apple's battle with the FBI, which has ordered Apple to help it unlock the phone of one of the shooters who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California, last year in an apparent terrorist act.

In a series of tweets, Pichai wrote that although Google gives "law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders" that that is "wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data," which could set a "troubling precendent." 

Apple is fighting the court order mandating that it help the FBI unlock an iPhone that belonged to one of the shooters in the San Bernardino massacre. Apple CEO Tim Cook responded today by calling it a "chilling" demand that "would undermine the very freedoms and liberty our governement is meant to protect."  He's arguing that to help the FBI unlock the phone would basically be providing a backdoor. 

So, Pichai's stance is basically, we will give law enforcement data when we need to, but we will not put in a "backdoor" for the government. 

Here's his full response:

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