Following the FBI’s successful attempt to break Apple’s encryption, the Department of Justice has asked for another two weeks to disclose whether or not they want to force Apple to open the seized iPhone in the New York drug case.
Reuters has knowledge of a court filing submitted on Tuesday, which follows an earlier appeal that came hot on the heels of a California ruling based on the All Writs Act forcing Apple to create software which would have weakened iOS’ built-in security.
As we previously reported, a US judge had ruled that Apple didn’t have to open the iPhone seized by law enforcement officials in a New York drug case.
The DOJ said it would appeal against the ruling and pointed to the San Bernardino case as a precedent. However, since then the FBI has been able to crack the iPhone’s security without Apple’s help and has dropped its case against the iPhone maker.
Apple said it is willing to help law enforcement officials as before but won’t create a backdoor to its mobile operating system. However, it is okay with the use of third-party tools such as the ones created by Cellebrite.
The DOJ did not disclose any details to the Brooklyn judge on Tuesday. Instead, prosecutors have agreed with Apple’s request to delay briefing deadlines in the New York case and say they will inform the court whether they need Apple’s assistance – in other words, they will probably test if the method used with the seized San Bernardino iPhone works with the New York one – by April 11.
