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The U.S. Justice Department has dropped its lawsuit that sought Apple’s help in breaking the encryption on a terrorist’s iPhone. Federal officials say that they were able to unlock the smartphone without Apple’s assistance. They reportedly received help from a third party that does not work for the government.
Although this particular case has been resolved, the larger issues are far from settled. “It remains a priority for the government to ensure that law enforcement can obtain crucial digital information to protect national security and public safety, either with cooperation from relevant parties, or through the court system when cooperation fails,” said Melanie Newman, a spokeswoman for the Justice Department. “We will continue to pursue all available options for this mission, including seeking the cooperation of manufacturers and relying upon the creativity of both the public and private sectors.”
Apple released a statement which said, “This case should never have been brought.”
It is unclear whether the FBI will provide Apple with details about how it was able to break the encryption on the iPhone.
