Unexpectedly, the FBI has made a motion to cancel a hearing with the court that might have forced Apple to cooperate with a previous court order to comply with the agency’s demands. A Justice Department spokesperson has stated that they may have a solution for working around iOS’s security from a third-party vendor who they have not publicly named, but is rumored to be Israeli firm Cellebrite.
Apple has been fighting a court battle with FBI over whether it should be forced to aid the agency in decrypting the San Bernardino attackers’ iPhone. In large part, the controversy has been fought in the court of public opinion, as elements of the public and tech community have expressed increasing concerns about the overall privacy implications of implementing what Apple CEO Tim Cook described as a “back door” into the iPhone’s operating system.
The FBI and Justice Department have been fervently denying that their request amounts to a “back door” of any kind, insisting that all they want is assistance with unlocking one specific device. Attorneys for the Justice Department and FBI have alleged in public appearances and court documents that Apple’s privacy concerns are overblown and little more than a “marketing strategy.”
Privacy advocates and many in Silicon Valley argue that this case could be precedent-setting and have wide-reaching consequences for civil and privacy rights world-wide, as governments with histories of human rights violations are likely to demand similar concessions from US tech companies. The Justice Department has until April 5th to report back to the court on the status of their decryption efforts. It’s possible that Apple and the government might be able to avoid a potential precedent-setting loss if the government is able to unlock the phone without Apple’s assistance.
Featured image via Flikr by Marco Ziero and available under a Creative Commons 2.0 Generic license.
