Facebook, Google, Amazon, Yahoo file brief in support of encryption

Yesterday, Twitter, Reddit, and 15 other tech companies collectively filed an amicus brief in support of Apple and its defense of smartphone encryption. For reason unclear, other giants like Microsoft and Facebook -- which have publicly announced their support -- were not included. However, they have filed their own separate brief with the same goal.

Microsoft President and CLO Brad Smith writes in a blog post of the case, "The fact that we're discussing the All Writs Act across the country is a telling indication of the urgent need to update antiquated rules that govern digital technology and privacy. If we are to protect personal privacy and keep people safe, 21st century technology must be governed by 21st century legislation. What's needed are modern laws passed by our elected representatives in Congress, after a well-informed, transparent, and public debate."

He later continues, "We've reached a critical moment in which a new generation of mobile and cloud-based technologies have far outrun the laws that protect our safety and preserve our timeless and fundamental rights. By standing with Apple, we're standing up for customers who depend on us to keep their most private information safe and secure."

Meanwhile, Facebook's General Counsel Colin Stretch says his company is proud to fight back, writing, "Forcing engineers to build security vulnerabilities into products to allow extraordinary government access is an unprecedented legal step that would weaken security for everyone. We are proud to join our peers today in urging the court to reject the government's demands."

The full list of companies in this second brief putting their support behind Apple includes Amazon, Box, Cisco, Dropbox, Evernote, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Mozilla, Nest Labs, Pinterest, Slack, Snapchat, WhatsApp, and Yahoo.

The complete briefing can be found here.