The FBI has told CNN that it found no useful information on San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook’s iPhone, but said the lack of information actually provided some answers. At issue was an 18-minute gap during which authorities couldn’t account for the actions of Farook and his wife.
The iPhone hack eliminated the possibility that the couple used the phone to engage in communication with a third party, allowing the FBI to rule out contact with other ISIS supporters.
While the FBI eventually accessed the iPhone on its own and dropped its lawsuit against Apple, Apple is still worried about pending legislation aimed at weakening encryption to aid law enforcement in gaining access to future devices. On Wednesday, Apple joined its tech industry allies in Reform Government Surveillance in issuing an open letter opposing the proposed Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016, which the group said “will force companies to prioritize government access over other considerations, including digital security.” The companies are worried that the bill’s “well-intentioned but ultimately unworkable policies” would result in leaving systems unnecessarily vulnerable to those who would seek to exploit the personal information of their users for criminal purposes.
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