FBI iPhone unlock order reaction: Trump, Rubio say no to Apple. EFF and Twitter say yes

Lots of upset, little insight

Wannabe presidents

And then of course you get to the presidential candidates.

Donald Trump used the opportunity to appear yet again on Fox News to espouse his hardline view. Concerns over the privacy implications of the court order were "ridiculous hysteria," he argued. It was also "ridiculous" that the US government "has to be put in a position where if they have information about a possible attack, we waste a second because that could be the second that kills somebody ... The reality is time is of the essence when you're talking about the possibility of a terrorist attack."

As ever, it's not clear whether Trump didn't know the details of what he was talking about or simply doesn't care. True to form he followed up with an insult: "To think that Apple won't allow us to get into her cellphone? Who do they think they are?"

Marco Rubio was more careful but also came down against Apple. He said he hoped the company would agree to the order (which it is pretty clear it won't), but bypassed expressing an actual view, noting only that it was a "tough issue."

Long shot John Kasich also tentatively came down on the government's side: "I don't think it's an example of government overreach to say that, you know, we had terrorists here on our soil and we've got to understand more detail about who they may have been communicating with."

Ted Cruz has yet to respond on the question, using his time in the spotlight to continue insulting his fellow contenders.

As for the Democratic presidential candidates, so far they have steered clear of the topic. But based on previous comments on the encryption issue, it is safe to assume Bernie Sanders will be pro-Apple's stance and Hillary Clinton will be opposed to it.

Twitter and authorities

Meanwhile, the tidal wave of uninformed commentary that is Twitter is, at the moment, very pro-Apple. Inevitably it will come back the other way. And then descend into rancorous insult until Kanye West does his next stupid thing and distracts everyone.

And as for the official word on the request. Well that came from US Attorney for the Central District of California, Eileen Decker. Her website even has a special section on the San Bernardino shooting, such is the importance of the case.

"My office and our law enforcement partners have worked tirelessly to exhaust every investigative lead in the case. We have made a solemn commitment to the victims and their families that we will leave no stone unturned as we gather as much information and evidence as possible," a statement read. "These victims and families deserve nothing less. The application filed today in federal court is another step – a potentially important step – in the process of learning everything we possibly can about the attack in San Bernardino."

No one can doubt Decker's commitment to finding out all the details of the shooting. Quite whether she wanted to become the epicenter of a much broader fight between federal law enforcement and tech companies over access to information is another question. ®