FBI Unlocks Shooter's iPhone, Drops Demands on Apple
by VOA News March 28, 2016
The U.S. Justice Department said Monday it has accessed data on the iPhone used by a shooter in last year's San Bernardino, California attacks, and that it no longer needs Apple's help in cracking the device.
Government lawyers asked a California judge to drop an order requiring the tech giant to help the FBI unlock the phone. The government had sought data as part of the investigation into the mass shooting, which left 14 people dead.
Apple had been fighting the order that required it to write new software to disable passcode protection and allow access to the phone used by one of the shooters, Sayed Rizwan Farook.
A court hearing scheduled last week was postponed after the government said it needed time to test a third-party method that would not require Apple's aid. The Justice Department on Monday did not identify who helped it access the data or what method was used.
Law enforcement's ability to unlock an iPhone through an alternative method is bound to raise new legal questions. Lawyers for Apple have said that the company would want to know the method used to crack open the device.
But the withdrawal of court process could take away Apple's ability to legally request details on the method the FBI used. It also is likely to raise questions among Apple customers and the industry about the strength of Apple's security on its devices.
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