Never Mind!
Apple vs. FBI
After the deadly attacks in San Bernardino, California, authorities discovered that an iPhone used by one of the terrorists, Syed Farook, was protected by a passcode that the FBI couldn't bypass without the phone's security protections deleting the phone's contents.
Turning to the courts, the bureau tried to force Apple to create code that would allow the government to crack the iPhone's security. Apple resisted the push, claiming that doing so would jeopardize all of its customers' information, making them vulnerable to hackers and surveillance.
Tech companies lined up solidly behind Apple. Google, Twitter, Yahoo!, Amazon, Microsoft, and many others signed on to briefs supporting the phone manufacturer's argument that it should not be forced to build security-defeating software for the government. Many tech experts questioned whether it was even true that the federal government lacked the skill to break into Farook's phone without help. Some suggested the battle was actually about setting a precedent that private companies could be forced to assist the government in gaining access to data.
But right before a scheduled courtroom confrontation over a judge's order for Apple to comply, the FBI asked for a delay. With the assistance of an undisclosed third party—and without Apple's involvement—the bureau said it had figured out how to crack Farook's iPhone.
This article originally appeared in print under the headline "Never Mind!."
Hide Comments (0)
Editor's Note: As of February 29, 2024, commenting privileges on reason.com posts are limited to Reason Plus subscribers. Past commenters are grandfathered in for a temporary period. Subscribe here to preserve your ability to comment. Your Reason Plus subscription also gives you an ad-free version of reason.com, along with full access to the digital edition and archives of Reason magazine. We request that comments be civil and on-topic. We do not moderate or assume any responsibility for comments, which are owned by the readers who post them. Comments do not represent the views of reason.com or Reason Foundation. We reserve the right to delete any comment and ban commenters for any reason at any time. Comments may only be edited within 5 minutes of posting. Report abuses.
Please
to post commentsMute this user?
Ban this user?
Un-ban this user?
Nuke this user?
Un-nuke this user?
Flag this comment?
Un-flag this comment?