This past Tuesday, a California judge ordered the tech giant Apple Inc. (AAPL – Analyst Report) to provide assistance for the F.B.I. to unlock an iPhone used by one of the attackers in the San Bernardino shooting that killed 14 people this past December.

As a report from the New York Times states, “The ruling handed the F.B.I. a potentially important victory in its long-running battle with Apple and other Silicon Valley companies over the government’s ability to get access to encrypted data in investigations. Apple has maintained that requiring it to provide the ‘keys’ to its technology would compromise the security of the information of hundreds of millions of users.”

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook responded to the judge’s order with a strongly worded letter that challenged the court’s request. “The United States government has demanded that Apple take an unprecedented step which threatens the security of our customers,” Cook begins. “We oppose this order, which has implications far beyond the legal case at hand. “

Cook continues by stating, “This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake.”

Let’s review the key pieces of information that need to be known about this issue:

1. The specifics of the F.B.I.’s request

The Federal Bureau of Investigation wants to examine the iPhone used by Syed Farook to determine whether he and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, directly planned the San Bernardino shooting directly with the Islamic State (ISIS). The iPhone obtained is locked by a passcode, and the F.B.I. wants Apple to circumvent the lock.

2. Why is Apple resisting?

According to the tech company, Apple would have to build a new version of its iOS smartphone software that allows the F.B.I. to bypass specific restrictions. Apple claims this software can give someone “the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone’s physical possession.” Furthermore, the company argues that the software the F.B.I. wants does not exist. But technologists say the company can do it.