US Police Say Criminals Like Apple’s iPhone Because of Strong Encryption

In a court filing, US law enforcement say that criminals have been favouring Apple’s iPhones because of the strong encryption the devices have.

The groups said that they know about a number of instances where criminals have switched from burner phones to iPhones. No specific examples were mentioned.

The court hearing took place within the legal battle between Apple and the US Department of Justice. Last month, the US Justice Department urged Apple to design new software that would enable a backdoor into the device’s operating system. This would give law enforcement easier access to user data, however, it would also give malicious users an easy way through.

Apple said that this request would be very dangerous, putting their users’ privacy and security at risk. On Thursday several tech giants, including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft sent legal briefs in support of Apple’s statement.

However, Apple has respected the FBI and turned in all the information that they could find with respect to the case. Law enforcement groups around the country said that Apple’s stance poses a great danger to investigations.

[via Reuters]