Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Apple vs. FBI Showdown

Apple vs. FBI Showdown

About

What happens when an immovable object encounters an unstoppable force? We’re about to find out. When the FBI asked Apple to specially engineer software so that it could hack into a mass shooter’s iPhone, Apple’s resistance tipped off a legal battle that is still waging. It’s one for the ages: The world’s largest technology company versus the United States federal government. And the future of your privacy could hang in the balance. Keep track of all the latest developments here, as they happen.

Person using iPhone and MacBook.

Everything you need to know about iCloud+

Apple's iCloud subscribers are about to get a huge bargain -- a huge expansion of their premium iCloud services at no extra cost. We give you the lowdown.
iPhone 11 Pro feature image

The FBI broke Apple’s iPhone encryption. Here’s why you shouldn’t panic

iphone x in hand

Trump wants a backdoor into your iPhone. So do muggers, experts say

supreme court rule expands computer related search warrants fbi building 02

FBI inflates the number of encrypted smartphones it can’t access, report says

facebook messenger day holiday update 1

Facebook Messenger could emulate Google’s Allo by introducing an ‘encryption mode’

enisa encryption report condemns backdoors protects your most private data

FBI director continues to bemoan encryption measures in consumer devices

apple encryption court order news logo

Apple to rehire security expert in wake of showdown with FBI

whatsapp

WhatsApp encryption is affecting FBI’s work in ‘huge ways’

Apple iPhone 6S

India says it has a mobile forensics tool that can 'handle' iPhone encryption

lapd unlocks iphone in jace trial apple 5s rear camera angle

Move over, FBI — the LAPD hacked an iPhone 5S in a murder case

edward snowden nsa prism whistleblower outs himself runs for his life

NSA whistleblower Snowden, CNN’s Zakaria face off over encryption

FBI Headquarters

FBI can still hack other iPhone 5C models on iOS 9, paid under $1M for technique

Original Series
apple government hack fbi method building 01

FBI will not disclose technique used to unlock shooter’s iPhone

The FBI has decided to not disclose the method it used to hack the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone.
Michael Hayden

Friends in high places: Apple backers now include ex-national security officials

Former NSA and CIA directors, along with various other former officials have backed Apple in the encryption war.
FBI Cybercrime

A new bill will force companies to place a backdoor in their devices to undermine their own encryption

The Feinstein-Burr anti-encryption bill, also known as the Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016, has surfaced. Here's everything you need to know.
iphone se ipad pro sales analysis apple 0023

The feds got into yet another iPhone without Apple

For the second time, federal officials have told the Cupertino-based tech giant "never mind" when it comes to unlocking an iPhone.
iPhone 5c pocket

How much did the FBI pay to hack the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone? ‘A lot’

FBI Director James Comey let loose that the bureau paid more than the amount he will make in the remainder of his term. That's more than $1.3 million.
cyberattack uk parliament

U.K. Investigatory Powers Bill, like Feinstein-Burr, is also anti-encryption

U.K. lawmakers have been debating the Investigatory Powers Bill since last November, and it has now been confirmed that it is anti-encryption.
apple iphone 5c rear camera

The hacked San Bernardino shooter's iPhone doesn't reveal any ISIS ties

U.S. law enforcement say no evidence of ISIS ties have been found in the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone.
apple mac sales drop will plastic bags feat

Apple complies with 80 percent of U.S. data requests, but most are about lost iPhones

Law enforcement in the U.S. made 4,000 device requests between July 1 and December 31 last year, for 16,148 devices. Apple complied with 80 percent of them.
top tech stories you missed 12 20 2015 apple china store pudong

Apple refused to hand over its source code to China

China has requested Apple's source code within the last two years, and Apple refused. The news came from a hearing Apple and the FBI testified in today.
enisa encryption report condemns backdoors protects your most private data

NYPD sides with FBI in the war against unbreakable encryption

The New York Police Department wants legislation that would weaken encryption, which would allow access into criminal's phones.
james comey encryption war far from over apple vs fbi

Apple: Government fails to show that assistance is ‘necessary’

Apple has responded to a Justice Department letter which said that it needed the Cupertino company's help in unlocking an iPhone in a New York case.
John Chen CEO

BlackBerry CEO addresses story that Canadian police have its global encryption key

BlackBerry CEO John Chen writes the company has stood by "lawful access principles," after a report revealed the company assisted Canadian police.
BlackBerry Classic keyboard angle

Canadian police have had BlackBerry’s global encryption key since 2010

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have had BlackBerry's Global Encryption Key since 2010, an investigation found.
james comey encryption war far from over apple vs fbi

FBI hasn’t found anything useful on San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone yet

The FBI is still analyzing the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone 5, but nothing of value has come up yet.
nypd commissioner pushes legislation smartphone encryption

California bill forcing companies to unlock devices has been abandoned

A California bill that would have imposed $2,500 fines on companies that refused to decrypt devices to allow access into phones has been defeated.
Hacker

Cellebrite didn’t do it: Gray-hat hackers unlocked cell phone for FBI

Hackers for pay were responsible for unlocking the iPhone 5C used by the San Bernardino terrorist, not security firm Cellebrite as widely assumed.
A digital lock sign set on a background of a chipset.

Apple vs. U.S. isn’t over yet; Feinstein-Burr ‘encryption bill’ draft surfaces

The Department of Justice has filed a letter saying it still needs Apple's help unlocking an iPhone locked in a Brooklyn drug case.
apple ios developer academy logo

Apple received first court order to unlock iPhone in 2008, cooperated with government

The roots of Apple's first encounter with a court order requesting access into an iPhone date back to a child sex abuse case in 2008.
iphone tool hack narrow slice apple se 0021

Tool that hacked shooter’s iPhone 5C only works on ‘narrow slice of phones’

The FBI says a tool it bought from a third-party security firm only works on a "narrow slice of phones," excluding the iPhone 5S, and Apple's newer models.
sxsl to performers announced white house washington dc

President Obama will not support anti-encryption legislation, most likely

The Obama administration will not support legislation requiring tech companies to cooperate with law enforcement in cracking encrypted data.
apple iphone se tops annual customer satisfaction index 004

Senators behind encryption bill know how the FBI hacked the iPhone

The FBI isn't ready to tell Apple or the general public how it cracked the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone, but it's disclosing that data to Senators.
apple iphone se tops annual customer satisfaction index 004

FBI lawyer: Dispute with Apple was ‘worth the fight’

The FBI's top lawyer says the legal dispute with Apple was "worth the fight" to ensure a thorough investigation.