San Diego Criminal Lawyers Blog
In this ever-increasing digital age, personal privacy and rights continue to controversial topic. In the midst of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s investigation, the District Court of California, at the formal request of the FBI, issued an All Writs Act 1789 order on Apple asking them to code a special iOS to be installed on Farook’s iPhone. The code would allow the FBI to make unlimited guesses at Farook’s password. As Apple makes their iPhones increasingly secure, the FBI is having trouble hacking into iOS data, which is costly and time-consuming.
As a result, the government has tried to co-opt Apple and used the Writ Act to force Apple to collaborate with them. Apple has currently appealed its case, with its CEO Tim Cook issuing a statement that such a code would threaten the security of iPhone owners, and pledging to uphold people’s privacy. In the interim, they have figured out that Apple’s TouchID can be bypassed with people’s fingerprints and/or copies of their fingerprints.
If Apple loses its appeal, those concerned about their security should disable their TouchID and opt for a strong password.