San Bernardino 2.0: FBI Asking Apple To Crack Encryption On Phones Owned By Pensacola Naval Station Gunman

San Bernardino 2.0: FBI Asking Apple To Crack Encryption On Phones Owned By Pensacola Naval Station Gunman

5 years ago
Anonymous $mKxHd64frN

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20200108/12254443699/san-bernardino-20-fbi-asking-apple-to-crack-encryption-phones-owned-pensacola-naval-station-gunman.shtml

It looks like the FBI wants to relitigate the San Bernardino shooting. After that tragedy, the FBI tried (and failed) to obtain legal precedent forcing cellphone manufacturers to crack open seized phones at the drop of a warrant. Finally, a third party sold a solution to the FBI that opened the phone and allowed it to recover nothing useful whatsoever from the shooter's device.

The FBI was displeased that it didn't get this precedent. Internal communications showed FBI officials were doing everything they could to avoid using a third-party solution. The theoretical existence of evidence related to a tragic shooting was the only leverage the FBI had and a private company's cracking service took that leverage away. It could no longer claim approaching Apple directly was the only way to access the contents of the phone.