Tim Cook to Discuss Ongoing FBI Battle on Tonight's Episode of 'World News Tonight'

ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir recently sat down with Apple CEO Tim Cook for an interview airing tonight that covers Apple's ongoing dispute with the FBI.

timcookdavidmuirinterview
In the interview, Cook will outline the reasons why Apple is objecting to the court order that would require it to help the FBI break into the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December attack in San Bernardino, California.


Over the past two weeks, Apple and the United States government have been embroiled in a monumental dispute over privacy and encryption, stemming from the FBI's request that Apple develop new software to help it hack the passcode on Farook's iPhone 5c. Apple has refused to do so, saying the request sets a "dangerous precedent" that could lead to an overall weakening of encryption policies that endangers the privacy of tens of millions of American citizens.

Opposing this order is not something we take lightly. We feel we must speak up in the face of what we see as an overreach by the U.S. government.

We are challenging the FBI's demands with the deepest respect for American democracy and a love of our country. We believe it would be in the best interest of everyone to step back and consider the implications.

Since the request was made public, Apple and the FBI have engaged in a very public sparring match. The FBI called Apple's refusal a "marketing strategy," while Apple shared details on an Apple ID password change that may have prevented the FBI from obtaining the desired information through an iCloud backup.

The interview will air on World News Tonight at 6:30 Eastern Time. Shortly after, the full show will be available on ABCNews.com.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...

Top Rated Comments

_Refurbished_ Avatar
127 months ago
Looks like they doubled down on privacy, not secrecy. Fight on, Cook. Fight on.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JonneyGee Avatar
127 months ago
Polls are already demonstrating public support for Apple over the FBI. I hope this helps send a strong message to the Feds that we won't stand for their invasive requests. Keep fighting, Tim!
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
127 months ago
Give 'em Hell, Tim.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CaTOAGU Avatar
127 months ago
This is the kind of captain of industry we need running for president, not Donald Trump.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JohnApples Avatar
127 months ago
"Omg! That's an unreleased 15inch MacBook in the background!"

Ah, good times.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zioxide Avatar
127 months ago
Think about it - it's the FBI that has chosen the battleground for this issue. They've chosen the least sympathetic suspect possible. And whaddya know, after the precedent is set for this case, they've literally got a dozen other cases waiting in the wings. Look at how the FBI goes on about "think about the victims' families". I do believe the feds genuinely care about safety, justice, and stopping ISIS. But I also believe they're capable of simultaneously playing their best emotional, PR hand in obtaining these powers.

Why in the world would this be marketing by Apple?

TIM: We need a new marketing scheme, y'all.
EDDY: I liked "I'm a Mac" and "Shot on iPhone 6".
PHIL: How about "Apple: Standing Up for ISIS?"
TIM: Let's do it!

:rolleyes:

This is a battle for public perception as well as a legal one. Once this precedent is set, there's no going back for Apple. I don't blame them one bit for raising the red flag publicly to let us all know about what's going on so we can discuss this as a society.
It's all just a ploy by the FBI and other law enforcement to play on people's emotions and fears to try to get them to give up their rights. We saw this same ******** after 9/11 and we ended up with the Patriot Act, PRISM, etc.

It's time for the people to stand up to these law enforcement's tactics and stand up for real American ideals of freedom.

We have loads of shootings every year yet nobody would ever give up their 2nd amendment rights. Why do people willingly want to give up their rights to privacy because of a half dozen incidents over the last 2 decades? It's unfathomable how foolish that is.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)