US Justice Department withdraws request for Apple to grant access to iPhone

(Baonghean.vn) - On April 23, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) withdrew its request for Apple to grant access to the iPhone of a drug lord in Brooklyn after an anonymous individual provided the passcode to unlock the phone.

The US Department of Justice withdrew its request for Apple's help unlocking the iPhone of a New York drug lord. Photo: Getty Images

"An individual provided the passcode to access a locked phone in the Eastern District of New York. Now that DOJ has access to the phone's data, we have notified the federal court to withdraw our request for Apple's assistance," said Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi.

At this time, the identity of the individual providing the information is not being disclosed.

The iPhone in the DOJ’s request belonged to Jun Feng, a New York-based drug dealer. After his arrest, Jun Feng refused to provide information to prosecutors, and the DEA requested information about Feng’s customers and other dealers through his phone.

The DEA then asked Apple for help accessing the phone, but Apple refused to help, citing customer privacy concerns.

Apple also said the company is facing at least 13 cases in the United States where law enforcement agencies have asked for help accessing its iPhones.

Previously, in February 2016, federal judge James Orenstein sided with Apple and ruled that the company could not be forced to unlock Feng’s iPhone. The judge said that enforcing the DEA’s request was inappropriate and required congressional approval.

However, on April 8, prosecutor Robert Capers of the Department of Justice once again requested Apple's help to access Jun Feng's phone.

In his petition, Capers argued that Apple's cooperation was necessary because the DEA could not use the same method the FBI used to access the iPhone in the San Bernardino terrorist attack.

Mr. Raimondi said that cases requiring similar technical assistance have never existed in US law precedent. Accessing evidence on devices requires a court order and a legal search warrant./.

Thanh Hien

(According to CNN)