....[ ]....And, again, it is a gigantic precedent being set if they simply comply without fighting - everyone's privacy is potentially at stake here... not to mention basic rights and freedoms...
This is the same premise behind signing any treaty, "trust but verify".
With that said, I still think the basis of your, "don't open the phone no matter what" premise, is overly paranoid, and could, (God forbid), come back to haunt you someday.
First of all, if you want maximum privacy, a cell phone certainly isn't the way to get or expect it. Use a landline, or mail a letter.
With that said, you likely wouldn't raise an eyebrow, should either of our countries "fed" seek a court order to open a terrorist's mail, be he, (or she), living or dead.
There is an upside to revealing the contents of the phone, which is to obtain the person's contact information. Ostensibly, they could be part of a terrorist network, and are likely, still alive.
So, one phone, opened by one warrant, seems a reasonable outcome. As to insisting this one instant action will automatically lead to end end of all privacy as we know it is, (IMHO), a bit hysterical.
A lot is made of the fact the US has the highest incarceration rate in the world. "If you're such a 'free country' how come your jails are full"? The argument could easily be made that, "if you give people enough rope to hang themselves", you'll find trees and scaffolds full of them.
A lot of the push back against opening the phone, is, (IMHO), a publicity stunt. A way to pat customer's on the back while whispering gently in their ears saying, "see we're looking out for Y-O-U and your privacy". In the meantime they're harvesting every scrap of your personal information they possibly can, to further their own business interests. And this practice, you actually seem to embrace..
