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A man holds up his iPhone during a rally in support of data privacy outside
an Apple store in San Francisco, Calif., Feb. 23, 2016. Protesters strongly
criticized a court order telling Apple to help unlock an encrypted iPhone. (AP
Photo/Eric Risberg)
The United States Justice Department says it has found a way to get
information from an iPhoneused by a shooter in last year’s mass shooting in San
Bernardino, California.
The Justice Department also said it no longer needs help from the iPhone’s
manufacturer, Apple.
The company had refused earlier demands by federal investigators for help
in recovering data from the device.
The government sought to require Apple to write new software programs to
help investigators getthe data without knowing the iPhone’s password. The
government believed the information wouldhelp it in its investigation of the San
Bernardino shooting, in which 14 people were killed.
Last month, a judge ordered Apple to help the government. But the Justice
Departmentannounced this week it has been able to collect data from the phone.
It asked the judge to cancel her order. She did so on Monday.
Last week, the government delayed another court hearing in the case.
Officials said they neededtime to test a method that could help them gain access
to the iPhone without Apple’s assistance. That method was developed without the
help of federal agents or Apple.
Lawyers for Apple have said that the company wants to know how the device
was unlocked.
But the withdrawal of the court process could take away Apple’s ability to
legally request details on the method the government used. It also is likely to
raise questions among users of Apple productsand the technology industry about
the strength of Apple’s security on its devices.
Words in This Story
data – n. information such as texts, audio recordings, video recordings and
pictures
password – n. a secret series of numbers or letters that allows you to use
a computer system ordevice
gain access – expression to enter a place or the storage area of an
electronic device
unlock – v. to make (something) available for use
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发表于 2017-10-31 23:21:04