in an online letter, ceo tim cook krites -- the 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 back door to the iphone. in the wrong hands, the software, which does not exist to unlok any iphone in someone's physical possessionon cook previously defended applpls encryption techniques with charlie rose. >> when we design a new service, we try not to collect data so we are not reading your e mail, we are not reading youou imessage. if the government laid a subpoena on us to get your imessages we can't provided it. it's encrypted and under key. >> reporter: the access to the iphone could create key information where they were befofe and after the shooting and who they were correspondenting with. it's encryption and how information is obtained. jim comey has been asking the tech industry wiwi help with encrcrtion issues and say it isn't just affecting national security investigations, but local police are running into comes to solving murder

they are tim cook's customers too. those arehe people who buy all of the apple products and you have to balance these two threats against each other. >> what is the worst case scenario, john? >> i'll tell you the worst case scenario right now. when i go to bed at night, i think all day what did i do and what little thing did i miss? do you want to know what i think about today? i think about in that phone in san bernardino of those two dozen people and wounded more, who were they in touch with? did someone tell them to do it? and if that piece of information is in there and that can be exploited, who did that someone talk to here in new york city and what could happen next? >> quickly to that point too. apple has been cooperative with the government in the past. all of the information on that phone that was backed up in the cloud, my understanding has been passed to law enforcement. but he stopped backing u u his phone about a month and a halff before the attacks. so the concern of law enforcement, what did he do in th

i think what tim cook is saying is yes, it does. it's really hard for me to hear myself say "yes it does" but i think from a perspective of what kind of country we want to live in, what kind of law we have, if it does or doesn't we need a public debate about it and a law that says this is what it means. we have been here before. from water boarding and nsa scandals we have put aside the conversation of what is important to us as a society and a country in favor of solving a problem immediately in front of us and found ourselves soul searching over and over again. i think that is what they are trying to presglent do you think the conversation is taking place now and either at the supreme something will change? >> absolutely. >> thank you. great discussion. >>> spike lee is in the graen room. we will look at the oscar controversy and we will learn about his new m m announcer: this portion of "cbs nationwide is on your side >>> police say he studied how to pull off a perfect >>> police say he studied to pull off a perfect murder. the g

>>> apple ceo tim cook speaking out the company's privacy fight with the fbi. >> to place a back door in the iphone, we believe it does put hundreds of millions of customers at risk. >>> president obama considering a republican nominee. brian sandoval, the governor of nevada, to fill the vacancy on the supreme court. >> when with e-cigarettes exploded inside a man's pocket in kentucky. >> adele! >> adele has stolen the show at this year's brit awards. >> you love me! >> christopher was discovered. mostly cue in "science" magazine. >> that happens every year? >> it does. you don't follow it? >> here i am worried about the oscars! >> all that matters. >> do you plan to campaign for her? >> i don't think they need me, quite frankly. he might need me, but she doesn't. >>> on "cbs this mning." >> a third consecutive win in the nevada caucuses keeps donald trump well-positioned to steam roll his way to victory a super tuesday. >> like many other las vegas visitors, the gop woke up this morning with a raging hangover! wondering what the hell happened last night? this morning" sponsored by to

. >> reporter: apple's ceo tim cook says he is fighting the order to device away past the iphone's encryption system to keep his consumers safe. >> the reality is if you put a back door in, that back door is for everybody. >> reporter: john miller is deputy commissioner of the nypd. he says apple could develop a code to break into the phone genetic the information it needs and then destroy it. >> tim cook says i'm doing this for the safety of my customers meaning we have an impregnable phone. how many people who died on the floor in san bernardino and paris had iphones in their pocket as they were killed by the terrorists? too. >> reporter: a senior executive told cbs news, the following. why is apple's cooperation necessary at all? mike morello is the former number two at the cia. isn't there somebody who currently works for the cia or the nsa who could do what the government wants apple to do? >> there has been so much advance in the last year, 18 months in the ability to protect information and these kind of devices, that the government has simply fallen behind in its capabilities. >> repo

magistrate judge ordered apple to -- apple's ceo tim cook says the tech giant doesn't have the technology and that developing it would create a back door to not only that iphone but millions of devices. the white house defended the department of justice's request for apple to aid in an investigation. the president calls an important national priority. >> they are not asking apple to create a new back door to one of their products. they are simply asking for something that would have an impact on this one device. >> reporter: as the war on terror and the right to privacy collide, cnet's dan ackerman says apple and the fbi have competing and compelling interests. >> apple says if you promise you only use it once it's going to get used again and again and once you create the precedent of giving that access once you're not able to deny at the time next time. >> reporter: google's ceo posted a series of tweets wednesday citing with apple, saying we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders, but that is wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of custome

tim cook posted the picture as he congratulated broncos on camera. it made tweets of iphone's camera and suggested cook later tim c 200 games in his career and the only quarterback to start in the super bowl and win lombardi trophies for two different teams. good morning and congratulations. >> charlie, you don't have to keep reminding me about being the oldest quarterback out there. >> what i want to know what are you doing for the defense? are you going to give them all new cars? what? >> well, von miller is going to get a car for being the mvp. but i've been thanking them all year long, charlie. and i've just been very grateful that i don't have to play against those guys. they don't get to hit me in practice and it's not full-speed contact. what a great group of guys to play with. really the entire team. we have had a bunch of tough, unfish, resilient guys. our defense has led the way. and i've just been very grateful to be a part of the journey with those guys. >> peyton, i'm not going to ask you if you're going to retire, but i will say this --

it's interesting to me to watch on saturday the fbi put out a blog case and this morning, tim cook e-mailing. between the two of them. isn't it true in the past apple has been cooperative and worked with the cia in the past? >> i won't get into operational details and apple has made it quite public they have been cooperative with american law enforcement with cases like this one but now apple is drawing this line. >> ios 7 or ios 8? >> i wouldn't get into the specifics. that is one of the detailed arguments that tilts this one way or the other. >> interesting thing is district attorney of new york has said he has got about 170 cases in which he can't gain access to an iphone and he needs that evidence in terms of dangerous criminals. >> no. frankly, charlie, i think the u.s. attorney here making that case undercuts jim comey's argument that i got one off that i need your help. >> can we talk about your book for a second? >> please! >> here you are, the master for years you keep all of the secrets and now you're writing a book about the secrets. i'm curious will the process for you and was it

would you do the samee thing that tim cook has done? >> i think they're saying, hey, as a society we think this discussion of safeguards is important. i don't disagree with that. >> nobody disagrees with that. >> at the end of the day we want a government that has this ability and we trust it to use that on our behalf. >> max legend who you and i both know and admire. this is what i'm trying to get you to say one side or the other. apple should offer the fbi the offer them a master key. >>>>yeah, that would solve this country's most respected legal names is defending the tech giant. that's ahead. >> he didn't want to seem to give a specific answer to that. >> no, he was not but he wanted to see it g g through the process first. >> i heard that. you asked it very directly. >> and numerous times. >> a couple of times. >> i like him a lot. >> yeah. he likes you too. >>> republican senators will meet today to gear up for a fight over the open seat on the supreme court. a new poll finds that 56% of americans want the senate to hold the heari

cook said no. cbs news justice report paula reed is following the case closely. this case is making headlines for weeks now. where do we stand as of today? >> we currently in a standoff. this case here is a case of a generation. this will answer what we have all been asking -- how far does tech have to go to accommodate law enforcement and how far does it get them in the cases? the laws are outdated and people hopefully will answer these questions. >> the phone in question here is the property of farook's former employer. could they not just demand that apple open it? >> they tried and it does make it easier that the individual in question is deceased because that takes away some of the privacy protects that would have existed but apple refused to do what they are asking here. they are asking apple to write software to undermine their signature security protections so they can run an unlimited number of passwords without the fear that feature that erases all of your data if you do up to ten incorre