Chris Welch of The Verge reports:

As Apple and the FBI head to another hearing on the San Bernardino iPhone case, both sides are growing more aggressive — and the exchange is quickly turning negative. Hours ago, federal prosecutors filed a motion that said “Apple’s rhetoric is not only false, but also corrosive of the very institutions that are best able to safeguard our liberty and our rights.” The government also pushed back against Apple’s concerns over the “backdoor” to iPhone making its way to the wrong hands. “Far from being a master key, the software simply disarms a booby trap affixed to one door.” Well, Apple isn’t very pleased with the government’s latest filing.

The company just held a conference call with members of the press, describing the prosecution’s motion as a “cheap shot” brief that takes away from the debate over consumer privacy and encryption’s role in preserving it. But Bruce Sewell, Apple’s general counsel and SVP of legal, had harsher words still. He accused the government of trying to “vilify Apple” on unsubstantiated theories.

Earlier today, Russel Brandom of The Verge reported:

Apple just pulled off a major scheduling coup. After months of rumors, the company announced today that its next product keynote will come on March 21st, just one day before the company defends itself against government efforts to break security on a phone linked to the San Bernardino attacks.

We’re absolutely going to see this issue mentioned at the keynote. It’s one of Apple’s most public and influential means of communicating with their customers. I hope they’re a specific call to action, i.e., “go to apple.com/privacy to find a list of congressman and senators to contact.”