Apple gains backing of peers in fight against govt

San Francisco

TIM Cook has picked a fight with the US government and Silicon Valley is joining his side.

From Google Inc to Facebook Inc, the industry's biggest names rallied around Apple Inc's chief executive officer after he vowed to resist a court order demanding it help unlock the iPhone of a shooter in a terrorist attack. Mr Cook described the request as an "unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers" and called for a public debate.