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When the FBI obtained a court order asking Apple for its help in unlocking the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, Apple took a bold step: it refused.

鈥淭he U.S. government has asked us for something we simply do not have, and something we consider too dangerous to create. They have asked us to build a backdoor to the iPhone,鈥� Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote on Tuesday in a .

The FBI argues that it could obtain valuable intelligence from the communications and location data stored on Mr. Farook鈥檚 iPhone 5C, and that this intelligence could save lives by preventing terror attacks in the future. In a supporting the FBI鈥檚 case, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr wrote, 鈥淐ourt orders are not optional and Apple聽should comply. In this case, under a valid court order, Apple has been asked by the FBI to unlock a government owned cell phone聽to assist in the investigation of a terror attack that killed 14 Americans.鈥�

FBI Director James Comey has that encrypted communications, such as Apple鈥檚 iMessage platform, allow criminals and terrorists to 鈥済o dark,鈥� making it difficult for law enforcement agencies to identify individuals who are planning violent acts. Without the cooperation of telecommunications carriers and tech companies such as Apple, Mr. Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee last summer, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies 鈥渕ay not be able to identify and stop terrorists who are using social media to recruit, plan, and execute an attack in our country.鈥澛�

But Apple holds that the FBI鈥檚 limited request 鈥� that it disable certain iPhone security features to allow the FBI to access Farook鈥檚 iPhone through brute-force password guessing 鈥� sets a dangerous precedent by undermining the security measures that keep the communications of law-abiding citizens safe.

On Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai sided with Apple, , 鈥淔orcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users鈥� privacy 鈥� [Tech companies] give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders. But that鈥檚 wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data. Could be a troubling precedent.鈥�

Apple was also supported by WhatsApp cofounder and CEO Jan Koum, who wrote in a , 鈥淲e must not allow this dangerous precedent to be set. Today our freedom and our liberty is at stake.鈥� And Reform Government Surveillance (RGS), a coalition of tech companies including Microsoft, AOL, Google, Apple, and others, released a saying, 鈥淭echnology companies should not be required to build in backdoors to the technologies that keep their users' information secure. RGS companies remain committed to providing law enforcement with the help it needs while protecting the security of their customers and their customers' information.鈥�

Broadly, tech companies have argued that a tool built for a specific purpose 鈥� unlocking the iPhone of a single terrorist 鈥� could fall into the hands of hackers or criminals, allowing them to unlock others鈥� phones. Apple also worried in its letter that the government could expand its powers in the future to compel tech companies to build surveillance software or otherwise spy on their users.

Apple will appeal the FBI鈥檚 request to the Californian district court that made the order; if the order still stands after appeal, Apple may choose to elevate the case to a higher court.