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Apple To FBI: Encryption Rules Out Handing Over iMessage Data In Real Time

Posted by timothy on from the oh-did-you-want-that? dept.

Mark Wilson writes that Apple has balked at a court order to provide the FBI with the contents of text messages among users of its iMessage service, claiming that the encryption it uses to protect these messages makes handing over the messages themselves impossible. From the article: The Justice Department obtained a court order that required Apple to provide real time access to text messages sent between suspects in an investigation involving guns and drugs. Apple has responded by saying that the fact iMessage is encrypted means that it is simply not able to comply with the order. The stand-off between the US government and Apple could last for some time as neither side is willing — or possibly able — to back down.

3 of 306 comments (clear)

  1. Why not ... by zeugma-amp · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... give them what they are asking for? Just hand over the encrypted data and say "good luck with that".

    --
    This is an ex-parrot!
    1. Re:Why not ... by MasseKid · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Exactly. This is the data apple has, it's the data being requested, the fact that neither apple nor the FBI can do anything useful with it should be of no legal concern to apple.

    2. Re: Why not ... by pr0fessor · · Score: 5, Insightful

      More like a cop asks you to open someone else's locked car because it's parked in your parking lot. They can tow it and break into it but you can't unlock it because you don't have the keys.