Not so long ago, the FBI got a huge one-up on Apple over the iPhone unlocking case. It was revealed they no longer need Apple’s backing, permission, knowledge, or approval to crack codes: they can do so on their own.
The FBI says they will teach local law enforcement agencies all over the country this mysterious trick of unlocking phones. The fact that local police are asking how the Feds did it is should say enough. In a statement, the FBI said they ??…will of course consider any tool that might be helpful to our partners.? We can read between the lines. Of course they’re not going to reveal the third party who helped them unlock that phone. An anonymous law enforcement official told tech news website BuzzFeed sent an advisory to offer any tech support. The statement says there could be some limitations to revealing such secrets. The letter sounds like they’re concerned with the whole ‘classified’ part of this organization (Let’s get real. We all know ‘classified’ really means secrecy). What if these methods, or the contents, need to be exposed during trials?
I’m no legal expert. Maybe the title FBI Spills the Secrets was a little misleading. Because I know one thing: the FBI will never expose how they cracked the code to people like you and me. They won’t even tell us who this 3rd party is. That’s why this whole things stinks to high heaven. If they can break into a phone and be this secretive about it, what’s there to stop them from breaking into your or my device? They don’t even need a search warrant; you just need to be suspected of something. Could this lead to a big brother system? And who is this third party? Many inquiring minds want to know. Could this change everything? Was Edward Snowden trying to teach us a thing or two?