CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA — Apple CEO Tim Cook has vowed to fight a court order that the FBI unlock an iPhone that belonged to one of the San Bernardino shooters.

In an open letter published on Wednesday, Cook said, "we have done everything that is both within our power and within the law to help" the FBI.

Cook said he opposed an order from a federal court that "demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers."

The order asks Apple to develop a new version of iOS that lets the Feds bypass security settings in order to rapidly "brute force" a series of password guesses to unlock its encryption.

"Once the information is known, or a way to bypass the code is revealed, the encryption can be defeated by anyone with that knowledge," Cook wrote. He went on to say, "The government suggests this tool could only be used once, on one phone. But that's simply not true."

Cook also added, "in the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession."

Apple's stance in defense of privacy and civil liberties is not only important in the U.S. If Apple caves to the FBI's demands, think of what governments like Saudi Arabia, or even worse, China, would do with that power.

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