U.S. drops New York fight with Apple after gaining access to iPhone

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

World | Fri Apr 22, 2016 11:23pm EDT

U.S. drops New York fight with Apple after gaining access to iPhone

NEW YORK | BY NATE RAYMOND AND JOSEPH MENN

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday dropped its effort to force Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to help unlock an iPhone in a drug case in New York after someone provided authorities the passcode to access the device.

In a letter filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, prosecutors said that investigators late on Thursday used that passcode to access the iPhone at issue, and as a result "no longer needs Apple's assistance."

The letter marked a sudden end to a closely watched case, in which the Justice Department had been appealing a ruling by a federal magistrate judge holding that he could not force Apple to assist authorities.

The case gained further significance after prosecutors in March dropped a similar effort to force Apple to help access an iPhone used by one of the shooters in December's San Bernardino killings, after a third party provided a way to crack it.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-encryption-idUSKCN0XK010

[Warren Stupidity]

1. Lying bastards

Though officials said the passcode had just come to light, the development marks the second time the federal government has dropped a contentious fight over the extent of its power over private companies after Apple pressed it to say what methods it had tried.

bullshit. They use these cases to try to get a fed judge to rule in their favor, and when it becomes clear that there is a risk of getting a ruling instead that would establish a precedent that manufacturers cannot be compelled to crack encrypted devices, they bail. They had access all along.