FBI can’t crack a smartphone they’ve had for 2 months thanks to encryption
Wondering why governments are pushing for bans on smartphone encryption? Look no further than the FBI group who has been working on the case of a terrorist who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California.
The phone from one of the perpetrators was taken into evidence, and the FBI has been trying to get access to its data for 2 whole months. They’ve been completely unsuccessful to now.
It’s not yet known which exact smartphone it was, nor which of the suspects it belonged to. FBI Director James Comey has been speaking with the Senate Committee on Intelligence and brought this roadblock up in his efforts to get some sort of change. He said the following in his statement regarding a potential backdoor:
“I don’t want a back door. … I would like people to comply with court orders, and that is the conversation I am trying to have.”
That’s a fair request, we’d say. But current law doesn’t require companies like Google and Apple to build software in a way that they can comply with those court orders, and that’s exactly why new bills are being proposed and voted on in several key states. Which side of this do you stand on? Do you care more about smartphone privacy or the general public’s safety? Let’s hear your thoughts straight ahead!
[via LA Times]