Some of Apple's biggest tech competitors have come together to support its refusal to unlock an iPhone to assist an FBI investigation.
A joint legal brief backing Apple's stance was prepared on behalf of 17 companies, including Twitter, eBay, Airbnb, Reddit and LinkedIn.
It was being filed ahead of a Thursday deadline for an appeal by Apple against an order, won by the FBI, forcing it to create software to unlock the iPhone of mass shooter Syed Farook.
Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik murdered 14 people and wounded 22 others in San Bernardino, California, in December.
Apple's refusal to help law enforcement access Farook's iPhone was already being supported by Facebook, Google, Microsoft and a host of other interest groups including privacy campaigners.
However, six people who lost loved ones in the IS-inspired terror attack have filed a legal brief opposing Apple's stance - where they pointed out the company "routinely modifies its systems" to comply with the Chinese government's demands.
Relatives also described the government's request as "the electronic equivalent of unlocking a door", and warned "one does not enjoy the privacy to commit crime".
The FBI has only 10 opportunities to guess Farook's passcode before data on the iPhone is wiped - and law enforcement officials have claimed lives could be lost if the information is not accessed.
Despite this, Apple argues that creating a backdoor to unlock the iPhone, something that currently doesn't exist, would set a dangerous precedent and threaten the security of customers.
Security experts from leading universities have also warned that creating such a bypass could generate unexpected glitches which hackers could exploit.
Last month, prosecutors claimed that the company had complied in 70 other criminal cases before beginning to refuse - amid concerns it was "being forced to become an agent of law enforcement".
The issue first emerged when Apple rejected a request to unlock the phone of an alleged drug dealer in Brooklyn - and on Monday, a federal judge ruled that the FBI could not force the company to unlock the device.
A hearing on the legal fight has been scheduled for 22 March, but the government must file a response next week.
The director of the FBI, James Corney, has admitted in Congress that the final court ruling on the issue would be "potentially precedential".
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