Cops Around the Country Can Now Unlock iPhones, Records Show (vice.com)

Law enforcement agencies across the country have purchased GrayKey, a relatively cheap tool for bypassing the encryption on iPhones, while the FBI pushes again for encryption backdoors, Motherboard reported on Thursday. From the report: FBI Director Christopher Wray recently said that law enforcement agencies are "increasingly unable to access" evidence stored on encrypted devices. Wray is not telling the whole truth. Police forces and federal agencies around the country have bought relatively cheap tools to unlock up-to-date iPhones and bypass their encryption, according to a Motherboard investigation based on several caches of internal agency documents, online records, and conversations with law enforcement officials. Many of the documents were obtained by Motherboard using public records requests.

The news highlights the going dark debate, in which law enforcement officials say they cannot access evidence against criminals. But easy access to iPhone hacking tools also hamstrings the FBI's argument for introducing backdoors into consumer devices so authorities can more readily access their contents.

Comments

Not the tool wanted

[sit1963nz]

This is NOT the tool wanted. This tool means they have to have physical access to the phone.

What they REALLY want is a remote backdoor so they can spy on everyone in real time if they want.

Re:Not the tool wanted

[b0s0z0ku]

Or maybe it does occur to them and they don't care. Or want government to go after troublemakers like protesters... The job of law enforcement often attracts a certain mentality.

Re:what is it?

[demonlapin]

Hell, the criminals will have an easier time of it than Apple. The criminals already know crooked cops who will, for a fee, order one for them.

Re:what is it?

[rtb61]

It is not about accessing the phone when it is in their possession, with a search warrant, that is a lie. It is all about accessing the phone when it is in your possession without your knowledge and sometimes without a warrant. That is why a backdoor, nothing what so ever to do with legal access via a warrant, all to do with fishing expedition access without your knowledge. Now add in more reality, also about spying on the opposite sex, competitors and revenge. The more power some people have, the more power they want.