Apple won over privacy advocates when the company encrypted information on the new iPhone, but the FBI was not amused.

The latest development in the ongoing battle between tech companies and government security is a threat from FBI Director James Comey — let us in, or we’ll find our own way. How does the agency plan to do that? Comey told the Brookings Institute on Thursday that the, “post-Snowden pendulum” has swung too far and it might be time for some regulations.

Since whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency’s programs collecting data on American citizens, companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft have worked to update security and keep prying eyes out.  

While customers concerned with privacy applaud encryption efforts that prevent police from accessing devices, even with a search warrant, law enforcement has maintained that encryption can endanger public safety by slowing investigation efforts.

Tech companies’ interests aren't entirely altruistic. The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation estimates that the U.S. computing industry could lose up to $35 billion by 2016 because of international concerns of NSA surveillance prompting countries and companies abroad to take their business elsewhere.

Going head-to-head with the FBI might turn out to be good for business, but it also could be disastrous for the entire industry.