The US government fired another salvo in the encryption debate by pressing Apple to help the FBI unlock two iPhones that belonged to the Pensacola naval air station shooter.
Federal investigators are hoping to gain access to both iPhones to learn who the shooter, Saudi military cadet Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, had been speaking to prior to last month's attack, which killed three people. In a Monday press conference, US Attorney General William Barr called the mass shooting an "act of terrorism" motivated by "jihadist ideology."
The FBI has recovered two damaged iPhones that belonged to Alshamrani, who shot one of the devices on the floor with a single round. Although investigators have managed to repair both handsets, Apple's on board encryption is preventing the FBI from accessing the content over the iPhones unless the correct password is provided.
"We have asked Apple for their help in unlocking the shooter's iPhones. So far Apple has not given us any substantive assistance," said Barr, noting the FBI had obtained warrants to search the devices.
"This situation perfectly illustrates why it is critical that investigators be able to get access to digital evidence once they have obtained a court order based on probable cause," he added. "We call on Apple and other technology companies to help us find a solution so that we can better protect the lives of Americans and prevent future attacks."
So far, Apple hasn't commented on Barr's statements. But back in 2016, the company famously refused to help federal investigators unlock a separate iPhone that belonged to the San Bernardino shooter. Doing so would have introduced a backdoor into iOS, threatening the software's security for all, Cupertino said at the time.
"Specifically, the FBI wants us to make a new version of the iPhone operating system, circumventing several important security features, and install it on an iPhone recovered during the investigation. In the wrong hands, this software — which does not exist today — would have the potential to unlock any iPhone in someone's physical possession," the company added.
Barr declined to comment on whether the Justice Department would try to take Apple to court, like it did back in 2016, to force the company to unlock the iPhones. In the San Bernardino shooter's case, federal prosecutors eventually withdrew the lawsuit after the FBI hired an anonymous third-party, likely a professional hacker, to help them unlock the iPhone. So it's possible federal investigators may resort to the same method to unlock the two iPhones that belonged to Alshamrani.
Outside of Apple, Barr has also been pressing Facebook to reverse the company's plan to expand end-to-end encryption across its messaging services. The US Attorney General claims the encyrption will prevent law enforcement from tracking the activities of terrorists and criminals, including child sex offenders. However, Facebook has refused to comply. "The 'backdoor' access you are demanding for law enforcement would be a gift to criminals, hackers, and repressive regimes," WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger executives wrote last month.