14 DAY TRIAL // James Comey, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is one the main officials who pushed for backdoors on phones sold in the United States, and now in the San Bernardino iPhone saga, he’s the first one asking Apple to help hack the phone and get access to the store content.
The iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino terrorists has caused quite a dispute in the United States, as a recent court ruling forces Apple to help the FBI hack the device and thus allow the feds to analyze the information that might be there.
No backdoor, just the chance to break a password
With Apple refusing to do so amid claims that a backdoor would open the door for more security threats on phones in the US, Comey has published a post on Lawfare blog to explain that the FBI does not want software to control all iPhones, but only to break into this one device.
“The San Bernardino litigation isn't about trying to set a precedent or send any kind of message. It is about the victims and justice. Fourteen people were slaughtered and many more had their lives and bodies ruined. We owe them a thorough and professional investigation under law. That's what this is. The American people should expect nothing less from the FBI,” he explains.
Comey says that while Apple is afraid that the FBI could get access to software that could expose all iPhones, what he wants is actually “the chance to try to guess the terrorist’s passcode.” That’s why “we don’t want to break anyone’s encryption or set a master key loose on the land,” he continues, because “we can’t look the survivors in the eye, or ourselves in the mirror, if we don’t follow this lead.”
He then goes on to make his post a little bit more emotional and mentions the “heat breaking case,” saying that discussions between the involved parties should continue. Surprisingly, that’s what Apple CEO Tim Cook called for last week, although the FBI director also used the phrase “search warrant” in his posting.
“I hope folks will remember what terrorists did to innocent Americans at a San Bernardino office gathering and why the FBI simply must do all we can under the law to investigate that,” he added, concluding that a balance between technology and safety must be found in order to stop these terrorist attacks.