Jon Swartz

USA TODAY

SAN FRANCISCO — Samsung Electronics, a frequent combatant of Apple in the marketplace and in court, agrees with the Silicon Valley company in its standoff with the FBI over the contents of an iPhone linked to the San Bernardino shootings.

"Ensuring trust in our products and services is our top priority," Samsung said in a statement. "Our phones are embedded with encryption that protects privacy and content, and they do not have backdoors. When required to do so, and within the law, we work with law enforcement agencies. However, any requirement to create a backdoor could undermine consumers’ trust.”

But the South Korean consumer-electronics giant, which is locked in a contentious, prolonged patent-infringement lawsuit against Apple that has lasted years, did not file an amicus brief on behalf of Apple.

Apple vs. FBI

More than 30 tech companies — Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo, Twitter, AT&T, Airbnb, Intel, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Evernote, Mozilla and Box, among others — threw their support behind Apple in amicus briefs, or legal briefs of support, on Thursday.

The tech industry, echoing Apple's arguments about the importance of privacy, cybersecurity and the Constitution, is opposed to the Justice Department's request that Apple hack an iPhone in the possession of Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the Dec. 2 attack that left 14 dead and 22 wounded.

In opposing amicus briefs in support of the government, law enforcement officials and others say data on the iPhone is crucial in the investigation of the terrorist attacks.

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