Apple asks for delay in New York iPhone case pending FBI’s new unlock method
- mar
- 25
Apple is now asking for a delay in an ongoing iPhone unlock case in New York pending the results of the FBI's proposed unlock method in the high-profile San Bernardino case. From Re/Code:
The company on Thursday asked a federal judge in Brooklyn for a pause in the case to determine whether this technique, proposed by an unidentified third party, might also give law enforcement access to the iPhone used in a New York drug trafficking case.
The Justice Department won't report back on whether the proposed method in the San Bernardino case has worked until April 5. Until that time, the parties involved in the New York case "lack sufficient information to determine the most appropriate way for the matter to proceed," argues Apple's attorney in the case, Marc Zwillinger.
As noted by Re/Code, the government has until March 29 to respond to Apple's request.
In both the San Bernardino case and the New York case, the government is relying on the All Writs Act as its argument for compelling Apple to assist in unlocking the iPhones at the center of each case. Given the similarities, it's likely that the outcome of one case could influence the other.
