02-17-2016, 03:53 PM
(02-17-2016, 03:33 PM)Maggot Wrote: Apple should just give the government that one password, not an entire software program.
Apple doesn't have the password. Only the user and anyone with whom he might have shared it could access the data in the phone.
In 2014, Apple announced it was throwing away the encryption keys that had previously allowed it to help law enforcement unlock customers' iPhones. At the time, the company was trying to beef up its reputation for customer security in the wake of revelations that it had participated in the National Security Administration's data collection efforts.
With the new Apple technology, there is no "back door" or "master/skeleton key" to unlock a user's phone data. To comply with the court order, Apple would need to develop software that could hack the encryption. They don't want to go there and set a precedent.