Earlier today, the Department of Justice announced that they were able to get into the San Bernardino attacker’s iPhone without Apple’s help. The DOJ asked the judge in the case to vacate the original order demanding Apple help the FBI hack the phone. In response to today’s news, Morgan Reed, executive director of ACT | The App Association:
The government today announced what we had suspected all along. The drastic measures sought by the FBI to compromise the security of smartphones and online commerce were never even necessary. Rep. Issa posed the question to FBI Director Comey before Congress: Have you exhausted all other options to get this information? The answer then was evasive and unconvincing.
Today’s announcement underscores that investigators can access the data they need without compromising sensitive personal information. As our society has become increasingly mobile, smartphone users expect to access all their information remotely. This includes financial data, medical records, and family information that must remain private.
While the DOJ consistently claimed its motion was directed at one company and one phone, the fine print reveals it believes it can coerce any company to disable its security to provide government access. This applies to any company that makes products with software. App makers and IOT device makers can be forced to undermine the security that customers demand. These companies don’t possess Apple’s legal resources and are targets for a government agency desperate for precedent that allows for universal access to connected devices.
Although the government has vacated its previous order, it has not conceded. We expect further challenges and must remain committed, from industry giants to independent app makers, to provide a secure environment for our mobile users.
Image: Yuri Samoilov / license / no changes