U.S. government calls Apple rhetoric 'false' in iPhone case

The U.S. Justice Department said Apple Inc's rhetoric was "false" in a high-profile fight over the government's bid to unlock an encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters. The dispute between Apple and the government burst into the open last month when the Federal Bureau of Investigation obtained a court order requiring Apple to write new software and take other measures to disable passcode protection and allow access to shooter's iPhone. Apple has said the government's request would create a "back door" to phones that could be abused by criminals and governments, and that Congress hasn't given the Justice Department legal authority to make such a demand. In the court filing on Thursday, federal prosecutors said Apple's stance was "corrosive" of institutions best able to safeguard "our liberty and our rights." The government also said Apple "deliberately raised technological barriers" to prevent the execution of a warrant. A hearing in the case is scheduled for March 22 in a Riverside, California federal court. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook has said he is willing to take the case to the Supreme Court.