US demands that Apple unlock phone in drug case

(TNS): THE DEPARTMENT of Justice said last Friday that it is moving forward on a separate legal front to force Apple’s assistance in unlocking the iPhone linked to a drug conspiracy case in New York City.

In a one-page letter filed in a New York federal court, Justice lawyers said the government “continues to require Apple’s assistance in accessing the data’’ on the iPhone of Jun Feng, a Queens, New York, suspect who pleaded guilty in a methamphetamine conspiracy case in Brooklyn federal court.

HIGH-PROFILE CHALLENGE

The filing comes a week after the government abruptly withdrew from a similar high-profile legal challenge in California after the FBI was able to access the contents of the iPhone used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook, using a method developed by an undisclosed outside party.

The government’s position signals a continuing legal battle that pits privacy issues against law-enforcement security concerns. The issue has drawn contrasting legal arguments from tech companies, civil liberties experts, and law-enforcement officials across the nation and beyond.

Apple is scheduled to file a response to the government’s application by April 15. The company did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on Friday.