Apple should be in a state of relief as finally the case against them has been dropped. Apple was allegedly convicted in the New York drugs case where Apple was required to provide the passcode for iPhone. The government has submitted their letter to the court stating that they have got the passcode of the iPhone from an individual. Government stated that they would no longer be requiring Apple’s assistance as the pass code received has helped them in unlocking the iPhone.
Justice Department Spokesperson Emily Pierce said that the case was never about setting an example however creating an enforcement law which could create an ability of enforceable action which could force companies to help with passcode and data whenever and wherever required.
Apple filed an appeal in court of law stating that government has still not utilized their resource completely. There are certainly many ways and means available to be accessed for getting the pass code of the phone. Apple also said that before asking for help, Government should have shown a report claiming that the have formally exhausted their resources and there is no other way left for getting pass code for the locked iPhone. In late February U.S. Magistrate Judge James Ornstein ruled that FBI legally lacked the authority for enforcing Apple for unlocking the iPhone in New York case.
The court case filed by FBI was dated back in October 2015 when an iPhone was recovered from the drugs dealer Jun Feng. FBI suspected to recover important data from the phone of the drug dealer after unlocking it, hence they directly went to Apple for help. Due to harsh level of encryption applied on all Apple level devices, it is particularly difficult for Apple to unlock their devices. Apple took a stance in favor of their consumers and rejected the appeal for help which later went in court against them.
