Roger Fingas
In the confrontation over the iPhone of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook, the U.S. Justice Department believes it could potentially demand that Apple hand over iOS source code and a signing key, according to a court filing.
The Justice Department made the proposal as a footnote in a recent rebuttal of Apple's arguments in the case, Reuters reported on Tuesday. In the brief, government lawyers said they have so far pursued their current strategy — asking Apple to build a passcode limit break for the FBI — because they thought handing over code would be "less palatable" to the company.
"If Apple would prefer that course, however, that may provide an alternative that requires less labor by Apple," the lawyers said.
Source code and a signing key would allow the government to build its own workaround for Farook's phone. It could also allow agencies to slip modified software onto other iOS devices however, and might set a precedent not just in the U.S. but in other countries.
Apple has already expressed concerns about a self-made workaround for iOS security, arguing for instance that it would compromise the platform, and that the U.S. can't compel a company to write new software.
One source told Reuters that the Justice Department doesn't intend to press the idea of seizing code. A source close to Apple, meanwhile, claimed that the company isn't that worried, and won't try to argue the matter in a response to the DOJ brief due later today.
AppleInsider Staff
Malcolm Owen
Oliver Haslam
Andrew O'Hara
Wesley Hilliard
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
72 Comments
Wow. Reeks of desperation.
Next they're going to request to have the brains of the software engineers removed and cryogenically frozen for future use. Wake up people, this is becoming scarier each day. Each day a step closer to life in North Korea.
"If you don't voluntarily do what we want, we'll force you."
Is this Hitler's Germany?
holy ****. if they even start down that path...apple better pack up shop and relocate to Canada fast a possible.
Wow, we're getting closer to a dictatorship where nothing is protected. The headline is a little sensationalist compared to the actual article but if the Justice Dept is even thinking about it, it worries me. I'm sure they don't have any legal grounds to do this just like they don't have any legal grounds to compel Apple to write software to hack its own system. This insanity by the Justice Dept and FBI really needs to stop. It's an embarrassment to the people of the US and is making us look even more foolish than we already do to the rest of the world.