Experts played an indispensable role in this investigation. “” After all the efforts to crack the gunner’s phone failed, everyone reached a consensus that he would initiate a dialogue with Apple. “
Security researchers speculate that during the Pensacola shootings, the FBI may still be trying to crack the phone with brute force. They said excessive physical damage could prevent any third-party tool from opening the device. According to photos provided by the FBI, the gunman in Pensacola’s shooting had fired an iPhone 7 Plus and tried to destroy the iPhone 5.
The FBI said that they repaired the iPhone in the lab to enable it to boot, but still couldn’t bypass Apple’s encryption technology. Security researchers and the former Apple executive said any damage that prevents third-party tools from working will also affect the solutions Apple provides.
A spokesman for the United States Department of Justice said in an email: “Apple designed these phones and encrypted them. This is a simple ‘front door’ request: Can Apple help us crack the gunner’s phone?”
Although Apple has blocked vulnerabilities that police have used to crack its devices and has refused access requests from some law enforcement agencies, it also often helps police obtain information from mobile phones without needing to crack encryption technology. Apple has held seminars for the police department to discuss how to quickly access the suspect’s mobile phone, and has a hotline and a dedicated team to help the police in some sensitive cases.
In the past seven years, Apple has also satisfied approximately 127,000 requests from US law enforcement agencies for access to data stored on its servers. This data is unencrypted and can be accessed without the customer’s password.
The confrontation between Apple and the U.S. government reached its peak in 2016. Cook said that the US Congress should pass a law that clarifies the line between public safety and technical security. In documents filed with the court, Apple even identified an applicable law, the Communications Assistance for law Enforcement Act, which was introduced in 1994.
Barr said on Monday that the Trump administration has resumed dialogue with the US Congress to formulate such a law. (Tencent Technology Review / Qiao Jiao)