San Bernardino terror attack victims' families ask Apple to cooperate with FBI

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (KABC) -- The families of the San Bernardino terror attack victims are upset, outraged and frustrated that Apple is refusing to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone belonging to shooter Syed Farook.

Fourteen people were killed when Farook, a county environmental health specialist, and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, opened fire at the Inland Regional Center on Dec. 2. It was the deadliest attack on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2011.

MORE: The 14 victims of the San Bernardino terrorist attack

Benetta Bet-Badal, 46, of Rialto was one of the 14 victims who lost her life. She was a health inspector with San Bernardino County. Her husband, Arlen Verdehyou, is upset and speaking out about the privacy fight.

"I personally feel very upset that Apple is not cooperating with FBI. I have personally spoken to the family members of victims and they feel the same," Verdehyou said.

MORE: Funeral service held for Bennetta Bet-Badal

Robert Velasco, whose daughter, 27-year-old Yvette Velasco, was killed in the terror attack, also disagrees with Apple and believes the company should cooperate with the FBI and its investigation.

"Not only was this a horrific event in San Bernardino, it affected me personally and it affected a lot of families in San Bernardino and the families of the other victims as well," Velasco said. "The bigger picture is that there might be some information in that phone that could lead to any other terrorist plots that these people might have been involved in."

MORE: 1st San Bernardino victim, Yvette Velasco, laid to rest

Ryan Reyes, who lost his partner, Larry Kaufman, in the terror attack, released the following statement: "It's not like they're looking at everybody. It doesn't make me happy that Apple's trying to fight the investigation, especially since it's in regards to terrorism."

Apple maintains complying with the magistrate's court order to help the FBI hack into Farook's iPhone could potentially undermine encryption for millions of other users.

The ruling by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sherry Pym, a former federal prosecutor, requires Apple to supply software the FBI can load onto Farook's county-owned work iPhone to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phone's data after too many unsuccessful attempts to unlock it.

MORE: Apple to fight magistrate's order to unlock San Bernardino shooter's iPhone

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the software would make all Apple products vulnerable to snooping and hacking. He said it could undermine encryption by using specialized software to create an essential back door akin to a "master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks."

Privacy advocates also argue that other countries like China and Russia may want a similar agreement if the company complies with the magistrate's ruling.

On Wednesday night, Google CEO Sundar Pichai tweeted his support for Apple, who has five days to challenge the magistrate's ruling.

"We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders, but that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices & data," Pichai tweeted, adding that it "could be a troubling precedent."

The Associated Press contributed to this report