- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

Apple Seeks US Congress Protection From FBI, Court-Ordered Snooping

© Flickr / AndyApple Store
Apple Store - Sputnik International
Subscribe
Apple is warning that the FBI, as well as police and prosecutors throughout the United States, anticipate using encryption-defeating software that court has ordered Apple to create, according to prepared testimony by Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Monday, a New York court ruled that the government does not have the authority to force a company to crack its own security protections. The decision appears to contradict an earlier ruling by a court in the state of California ordering Apple to create software to unlock a phone used in a terrorist attack.

“We can all agree this is not about access to just one iPhone,” Sewell said in his testimony, which was released by Apple prior to a hearing in the US House Judiciary Committee.

A crest of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is seen 03 August 2007 inside the J. Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, DC. - Sputnik International
FBI Request to Unlock iPhone Violates Civil Rights - Apple
FBI Director James Coomey has previously said the order applies to only one phone, which was used by terrorists prior to a December massacre of 20 people in the US state of California.

Sewell is arguing that the court is ordering Apple to create a tool that law enforcement officials will use in a wide variety of criminal cases, with the unintended consequence of opening all of its phones to snooping by the US government agencies and malicious hackers.

“Just last week Director Comey agreed that the FBI would likely use this precedent in other cases involving other phones. [New York] District Attorney [Cyrus] Vance has also said he would absolutely plan to use this on over 175 phones,” Sewell stated.

Apple refuses to comply with the latter order, saying it will take the case all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary.

Many members of the US Congress, however, are looking for a way to circumvent a lengthy and uncertain legal battle by drafting new legislation to achieve a balance between individual privacy and the needs of law enforcement.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала