Scalper1 News
For the second time in recent weeks, the Department of Justice has dropped a legal bid to force Apple ( AAPL ) to unlock an iPhone in a criminal investigation. The DOJ said late Friday that it no longer needs Apple’s assistance to unlock an iPhone used by a New York drug dealer, because the phone’s owner provided the passcode. Just last week, Apple asked a U.S. district court judge to dismiss the case, saying the government had failed to demonstrate that it had exhausted all other options before demanding the company’s help, the Wall Street Journal reported . On March 28, the DOJ withdrew its demand that Apple help it hack an iPhone belonging to one of the shooters in the San Bernardino, Calif., massacre. The FBI reportedly paid an unidentified third party more than $1 million to unlock the iPhone. Apple has fought government attempts to get it to weaken its smartphone security, saying that would create vulnerabilities that could be exploited by criminals and hackers. The company says it is increasing security on its devices to protect users’ personal data, including financial and health information. The FBI and law enforcement officials are worried that criminals will use the built-in security on smartphones like the iPhone and software apps to “go dark.” They have found sympathetic members of Congress, including Sens. Richard Burr, R-N.C., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. Burr and Feinstein have proposed legislation called the “Compliance With Court Orders Act of 2016.” As drafted, the legislation would require any individual or company to comply with any U.S. court order and hand over data to authorities, including data that is encrypted. The bill has been roundly criticized by civil liberties and digital privacy groups. Scalper1 News
Scalper1 News