[Update: full interview now embedded below] In a public interview to air on ABC News this evening, Apple CEO Tim Cook will answer questions from "World News Tonight" host David Muir about the conflict between Apple and the FBI (and numerous other government agencies), the latter of which is pushing in court to force Apple to create a compromised version of its software that could be used to bypass security protections installed on iPhones -- a precedent that would lead to all mobile device makers have to open their devices to government scrutiny at will.

The FBI's previous claims that it wanted the access in a "limited, one-time-only" manner has been exposed as misleading (to both the court and the public) by revelations that the Department of Justice and other agencies are planning to seek court orders for the decryption of hundreds of other seized smartphones, in much less serious criminal prosecutions, if the FBI prevails. The agency's creditability was further undermined when it had to admit that the reason it wants to force Apple to compromise its iOS platform is because the agency bungled an initial attempt to gain access to a backup of the San Bernardino gunman's work-issued iPhone 5c after recovering it following the attack on December 3, which left 14 people dead.

Contrary to initial claims, Apple has been cooperating with the agency since shortly after the attacks to the extent possible, and could have provided a copy of the updated iCloud backup if the FBI and San Bernardino County officials hadn't reset the password to the dead gunman's account. In the interview, Cook said Apple was blindsided by the court order, which apparently came from a US magistrate judge based on a government request authorized without giving Apple a chance to rebut, the Apple CEO said.

"This filing, we found out about the filing from the press," Cook said. "And I don't think that's the way the railroad should be run. And I don't think something so important to this country should be handled in this way." In a letter to customers, he noted that the only way at this point to give the FBI access to the encrypted iPhone -- of which the FBI has yet to explain what they think is on there, or what is urgent about the request -- was to create a compromised version of iOS that would allow brute-force password attempts, rather than forcing a delay between attempts and erasing the iPhone if more than 10 unsuccessful attempts are made.

Apple began encrypting its iPhones with the release of iOS 8 in late 2014, and prevented brute-force password hackery after it was discovered that a flaw would allow such attacks. A number of compromising pictures of various celebrities were recovered from their devices and iCloud accounts -- along with easier-to-attack targets on other platforms -- due to the ability of hackers to discover passcodes and passwords with brute-force automatic software.



"This is not something that we would create. This would be bad for America," Cook said about why the company has thus far refused to create a backdoor to its operating system. "It would also set a precedent that I believe many people in America would be offended by." He added that he wished there was more dialogue between the government and Apple on this issue.

Following initial reticence by leading tech firms and early polls that seemed to support the FBI's position over Apple's defense of the US Constitution's Fourth Amendment and civil liberties, the string of ongoing revelations in the case about the government's true intentions -- and charges by critics that the agency may be using the San Bernardino workplace massacre as a tool to weaken overall privacy protections rather than uncover evidence of "terrorist" activity -- has changed minds, as reflected in growing support for Apple's position in the tech industry, and changing poll numbers. The FBI has already said the couple, Syed Farook and his wife Tashfeen Malik, were not part of a terrorist group or conspiracy despite having some pro-Islamic State views, but has repeatedly resorted to calling the massacre -- Farook worked as an employee and appears to have targeted only co-workers in the attack -- a "terrorist" incident.

Pressed by Muir to address the conflict between a refusal to help law enforcement (even if it is overreaching) in the name of greater public safety and its believe in customer privacy (which the FBI has called "a marketing gimmick"), Cook said that he thinks that public safety is "incredibly important. Safety of our kids, safety of our families is very important. The protection of people's data is incredibly important, and so the tradeoff here is that we know that doing this could expose people to incredible vulnerabilities."



When asked directly if he worries that Apple's strong stance on encryption could block a way to prevent a horrible crime or terrorist attack, Cook said quietly, "some things are right, and some things are hard, and some things are both ... and this is one of those things." An extended version of the interview with Cook will be made available on ABC News' website after the broadcast airs later this evening.