There is no backdoor just for the ‘good guys’
The United States Justice Department called out Apple (again) for not helping with its investigations.
The latest plea comes from US Attorney General, Bill Barr, who claims last month’s fatal shooting at a US naval air station in Pensacola, Florida was an act of terrorism.
Barr also said: ‘‘This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that the public be able to get access to digital evidence.’’
The Attorney General is referring to Apple’s unwillingness to provide US law enforcers with backdoor access into the suspect’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 5.
However, the situation is more nuanced than Barr is making out. Apple says that it has been cooperating with law enforcement officials – providing access to the suspect’s iCloud account and transaction data for multiple accounts.
Apple: ‘‘When the FBI requested information from us relating to this case a month ago we gave them all of the data in our possession and we will continue to support them with the data we have available.’’
Justice Department officials want more than this, though. They want Apple to create a way for their investigators to access a suspect’s entire iPhone – allowing them to view the encrypted data within apps such as Whatsapp, Messenger and Telegram.
And this is where the two sides’ opinions differ.
Apple claims that giving the government access to its users’ private data doesn’t solve the bigger issue.
In a recent statement, Apple said: ‘‘We have always maintained there is no such thing as a backdoor just for the good guys.’’
Apple also said: ‘‘Backdoors can also be exploited by those who threaten our national security and the data security of our customers.
‘‘Today, law enforcement has access to more data than ever before in history, so Americans do not have to choose between weakening encryption and solving investigations. We feel strongly encryption is vital to protecting our country and our users’ data.’’
Barr has renewed his call for new legislation to aid the Justice Department in gaining access to suspect’s devices.