FBI seeks Apple's help unlocking phones of suspected Pensacola naval station gunman

From FBI Director Wray’s Remarks at Press Conference:

"We received effectively no help from Apple.

We canvassed every partner, and every company, that might have had a solution to access these phones. None did, despite what some claimed in the media. So we did it ourselves.

Unfortunately, the technique that we developed is not a fix for our broader Apple problem—it’s of pretty limited application. But it has made a huge difference in this investigation..."

https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/p...-air-station-pensacola-shooting-investigation

 

Maybe I'm still missing the point but what is it going to accomplish to look at these devices after the fact anyway? Are they going to show it to Captain Hindsight so he can tell us what we should have done?

 

The FBI Backs Down Against Apple—Again
The agency cracked the Pensacola iPhones, but it still views Cupertino as a problem
May 18, 2020
https://www.wired.com/story/fbi-backs-down-apple-encryption-pensacola-iphones/

 

Comment: Here’s how to explain the Apple/FBI debate to your non-techy friends
May 19, 2020
https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/19/apple-fbi/

 

"The Police Can Probably Break Into Your Phone...

Law enforcement officials across the nation regularly break into encrypted smartphones.

That is because at least 2,000 law enforcement agencies in all 50 states now have tools to get into locked, encrypted phones and extract their data, according to years of public records collected in a report by Upturn, a Washington nonprofit that investigates how the police use technology...

At least 49 of the 50 largest U.S. police departments have the tools, according to the records, as do the police and sheriffs in small towns and counties across the country...

While the existence of such tools has been known for some time, the records show that the authorities break into phones far more than previously understood — and that smartphones, with their vast troves of personal data, are not as impenetrable as Apple and Google have advertised..."

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/21/technology/iphone-encryption-police.html

 

Pasted from inside the linked article:

Does anyone know how Android using KNOX encryption fares on this subject? My Android has incredibly effective biometric access so I rarely need to use my passphrase. Because of that I can easily use a 16 digit passphrase. For those that don't know there is a toggle menu item on Android using > 9 to immediately turn off biometrics and then only the passphrase or PIN will open the phone. If the software is truly solid 16 digits would hold up well. Simply to discover KNOX integrity I would love to acquire the TRUE answer to my inquiry on Knox.

caveat: I don't use my Android for any sinister and candidly I always assume Google, which hosts/runs the OS, can watch me at will.