WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On Monday, a New York court ruled that the government does not have the authority to force a company to crack its own security protections. The decision appears to contradict an earlier ruling by a court in the state of California ordering Apple to create software to unlock a phone used in a terrorist attack.
“We can all agree this is not about access to just one iPhone,” Sewell said in his testimony, which was released by Apple prior to a hearing in the US House Judiciary Committee.
Sewell is arguing that the court is ordering Apple to create a tool that law enforcement officials will use in a wide variety of criminal cases, with the unintended consequence of opening all of its phones to snooping by the US government agencies and malicious hackers.
“Just last week Director Comey agreed that the FBI would likely use this precedent in other cases involving other phones. [New York] District Attorney [Cyrus] Vance has also said he would absolutely plan to use this on over 175 phones,” Sewell stated.
Apple refuses to comply with the latter order, saying it will take the case all the way to the US Supreme Court if necessary.
Many members of the US Congress, however, are looking for a way to circumvent a lengthy and uncertain legal battle by drafting new legislation to achieve a balance between individual privacy and the needs of law enforcement.
