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

iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 3

Monday November 17, 2025 3:20 pm PST by
Apple provided developers with the third beta of an upcoming iOS 26.2 update, and there are still new features that are being added with each beta that we get. We've rounded up all of the changes that Apple made in beta 3. AirDrop Apple added new AirDrop functionality, providing a way for two people to share files temporarily without having to add one another as contacts. iOS 26.2...
Tim Cook WWDC 2018

Report: Tim Cook to Step Down as Apple CEO 'as Soon as Next Year'

Saturday November 15, 2025 2:40 pm PST by
Apple is preparing for Tim Cook to step down as CEO of the company "as soon as next year," according to the Financial Times. The company's board of directors and senior executives "recently intensified preparations for Cook to hand over the reins," the report said. While the report said that Apple is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, it went on to ...
applecare apple care banner

Apple Brings New AppleCare+ Options to India

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:42 am PST by
Apple today announced an expansion of AppleCare+ coverage in India, with new options for monthly and annual plans, and the addition of Theft and Loss for iPhone for the first time. Options for monthly and annual AppleCare+ plans in India provide more choice and flexibility, allowing users to keep coverage for as long as they require. Apple's vice president of Worldwide iPhone Product...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
best early black friday deals

Best Black Friday Apple Deals Live Now - Save on AirPods, iPads, and Apple Watches

Saturday November 15, 2025 1:45 pm PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

iPhone Driver's License Feature Launching in Illinois

Tuesday November 18, 2025 8:47 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Starting this Wednesday, November 19, the feature will be available to residents of Illinois. The announcement confirmed that the...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 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. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
apple silicon mac lineup 2024 feature purple m5

Apple's 2026 Mac Plans

Friday November 14, 2025 3:23 pm PST by
Most of Apple's Macs are slated to get M5 chips across 2026, and there's a possibility we'll even see the first M6 chips toward the end of the year. Updates are planned for everything from the MacBook Air to the Mac Studio. MacBook Air (Early 2026) The MacBook Air will be one of the first Macs to get a 2026 refresh, with an update planned for the first few months of the year. The MacBook...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Here's When Tesla is Expected to Add Support for Apple CarPlay

Sunday November 16, 2025 6:49 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated that Tesla plans to add Apple CarPlay support to its vehicles "in the coming months." This is easily the biggest news for the regular version of CarPlay in years, should Tesla actually follow through with offering the system in its vehicles. As noted by Gurman, this would be a stunning reversal for Tesla and its CEO Elon ...

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)