The US Justice Department announced on Monday that it could unlock the iPhone used by one of the shooters in San Bernardino, and withdrew the lawsuit against Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), completing a massive legal battle, but left unresolved the broader argument about coding.
The sudden completion of confrontation, which galvanized the technology industry, was a victory for Apple, which fiercely opposed the court order obtained by the Ministry of Justice, according to which it had to create new software to access the phone's data.
"From the beginning we were against the FBI requirements that Apple must create an opening for iPhone access, because we thought it was wrong and would set a dangerous precedent - said Apple on Monday -. As a result of revocation of the authorities claim, none of this did happen. This case should not attract so much attention."
However, wider confrontation, related to law enforcement access to encrypted information, is far from complete. Technology industry companies firmly believe that everything that helps the authorities to circumvent the technical protection of devices, is threatening overall safety.
The authorities, in turn, insist on the fact that any criminal investigation will be weakened without data access of phones.
The litigation revolves around the iPhone used by Rizvan Farouk, who started together with his wife in a shooting in a social assistance center in San Bernardino in December, resulting in 14 people dead and 22 injured. The attackers were later shot dead by police.
Ministry of Justice for weeks stated in the petition and at a congressional hearing that Apple has "unique technical means" to unlock the phone of Farouk. However, in the two-page appeal to the court on Monday, the Justice Ministry said that the government "has successfully gained access to the data stored on the Farouk’s phone and no longer need the help of Apple".