Apple has a firm stance when it comes to security, especially on devices that run iOS 8 or later. Specifically, Apple believes security should come first, and its encryption makes sure of that.
However, that has flown in the face of many government agencies, including the FBI and even the U.S. Attorney General, and now Apple has found itself dealing with a court case where an iPhone is a central piece of evidence. However, as noted earlier in October, the Cupertino-based company has echoed its stance, and says that, even if it wanted to (which it doesn’t), it couldn’t unlock an iPhone without the passcode (or fingerprint) to do so.
Now, Magistrate Judge James Orenstein has said that asking Apple to unlock the iPhone is akin to asking a drug company to supply the drugs necessary for a lethal injection. More to the point, Judge Orenstein says that it’s asking Apple to work for the Justice Department, as he told the department’s lawyer, Saritha Komatireddy.
Komatireddy would reply that the analogy was “inflammatory,” to which the judge simply stated that it was “purposefully so.” Now, moving forward, Judge Orenstein has informed both sides of the case to submit further letters by Wednesday of this week, all in response to questions raised within the case.
For its part, the Justice Department did raise the question of Apple’s track record with security, stating that it has “been doing this for years without any objection,” as far as providing access to iPhones in the past when has been requested of Apple. Marc Zwillinger is Apple’s lawyer in the matter, and stated that the company has changed its outlook on security ever since high-profile hacks have discerned a large quantity of user information, as well as other mining of information, including that of Edward Snowden, which revealed a massive surveillance program from a variety of sources.
“Right now, Apple is aware that customer data is under siege from a variety of different directions.”
The case is a secret at this point, involving both the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and an iPhone.
[via Apple Insider]
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