Apple CEO Tim Cook says it is being asked to "hack its own users" and is prepared to take the matter to the highest court – a move that may take years, lots of time and money.

Analysts are saying Apple is in between a rock and a very hard place. On one hand, the American people may get antsy about Apple protecting the rights of a dead ISIS terrorist over the security of the American people – according to Arkansas Republican Senator Tom Cotton.

On the other hand, it could be the most monumental fight for individual privacy ever seen. Apple certainly have the resources, and likely the resolve, to take on the Government.

The Government party is the equally well-funded and well-resourced Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and it could also appeal any order that Apple obtains to reverse the magistrate’s decision. This could get messy.

Cook has penned a letter to Apple’s customers that you should read. His points make sense – it sets a dangerous precedent to ‘remove security features and add new capabilities to the operating system’ allowing iPhones to be unlocked by brute force [password cracking].

Cook says all that information needs to be protected from hackers and criminals who want to access it, steal it, and use it without a user’s knowledge or permission. Customers expect Apple and other technology companies to do everything in thier power to protect a user's personal information, and Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding users data.

iTWire will continue to report on this issue as more information comes to hand.