FBI Looks Into Unlocking Minnesota Mall Stabber's iPhone (cnet.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: The Minnesota man suspected of stabbing 10 people in a mall before police fatally shot him left behind his iPhone. Now, FBI agents are looking into unlocking his iPhone as part of the investigation. The FBI says Dahir Adan, 20, attacked several shoppers on September 17 in a frenzy, asking his victims if they were Muslim before he stabbed them. ISIS claimed responsibility for attack shortly after. FBI director James Comey told the House Judiciary Committee his agency is reviewing Adan's electronic devices -- but is having issues getting into his iPhone. The device remains locked, as agents are "exploring technical and legal options," Minneapolis FBI spokesman Jeff Van Nest said. He declined to specify what model the iPhone was.

Comments

Hook, line, and sinker

[Anonymous Coward]

ISIS took credit for my stubbed toe last week and these god damn dipshits eat it up ever time. Thanks for being a bunch of fucking gullible retards, America. Begin so incapable of generating even a modicum of rational thought, you deserve every single bad thing that happens to you. Smarten up, you stupid assholes.

Terrorists

[110010001000]

Every terrorist that has been killed has had an iPhone. The only logical conclusion is that iPhones make you a terrorist.

Re:The new line for the Johnnie Cochran's out ther

[DaHat]

The reality is that police do have a right, with a court order to search everything related to you, especially if you commit multiple attempted murders

Said right does not require a safe manufacturer to build backdoors into their safes, nor alter the complexity of math.

That said I am all for strong encryption on all electronics. I think the best solution is some middle ground. I don't know where that middle ground is. The reality is that we the people need to start by requiring the federal government to treat our computers, email and cell phones with the same level of respect for privacy as is given to the US mail (i.e. its a felony to tamper/interfere/gain unauthorized access). Once that is established we can have a conversation about giving access with court order to some or all of these items.

Easier said than done. The contents of a letter remain secret because people treat it that way. The contents of a safe remain secret because people treat it that way... and have a physical impediment to easy access. The contents of an encrypted device remain secret because the system is designed not to be easily be openable by anyone other than those the legitimate owner has chosen thanks to lots of math.

Currently, there is no legal requirement for a company like Apple to have a way that they & only can unlock a phone, in fact they've purposely engineered ways to make it more difficult.

It's easy to say "but in the case of terrorism, we should have the right to compel them!" ok... where do you want that right to end? Are you & Apple ready for divorcing spouses to be going to court to order the seizing of their spouses cell phone and ordering Apple to decrypt it to prove infidelity?

Such an ability also lowers the bar not only for law enforcement to legitimately investigate (via search warrant) suspects, but also the ability to plenty of others in law enforcement & government to go fishing.