FBI Blasts Apple, Google for Locking Police out of Phones
Tags: 2010s Backdoors Government Access Mobile
Authors: Timberg, Craig and Miller, Greg
Published: September 2014
Abstract: On September 26, 2014, The Washington Post published an article which discussed the FBI’s criticism of Apple and Google for “for developing forms of smartphone encryption so secure that law enforcement officials cannot easily gain access to information stored on the devices – even when they have valid search warrants.” The article notes that “while the legal and technical changes are fueled by anger over reports of mass surveillance by the National Security Agency, the consequences are being felt most heavily by police detectives, often armed with warrants certifying that a judge has found probable cause that a search of a smartphone will reveal evidence of a crime.” Therefore, while the “outrage is directed at warrantless mass surveillance”, police detectives searching a device with a warrant “is a very different context”. While the FBI has “a spectacular arsenal of weapons”, they and other law enforcement entities argue the arsenal is not enough given the evolution of technology.