Apples near the tree: The resolution of the San Bernardino iPhone standoff is only the beginning

Apple and the FBI have both for the moment stood down in their high-stakes standoff, with the government hacking into a dead San Bernardino terrorist’s iPhone without the recalcitrant tech giant’s help.

 

One down and hundreds more to go . With lives in the balance, the encryption threat still cries out for a comprehensive solution .

Apple asks court to reverse FBI iPhone order

Apple has asked a US court to overturn an earlier ruling ordering the company to help the FBI break into a phone used by one of the San Bernardino killers.

In court papers Apple says law enforcement authorities are seeking "dangerous powers" and the move violates its constitutional rights. 

 

The FBI and White House have said the request is limited to one iPhone.

But Apple says the software needed to comply with the FBI's request "simply does not exist".

Instead Apple says it would have to create a new version on the iPhone operating software, containing a back door to the device's encrypted data.

It argues that the lower court did not have the authority to force Apple to do that.

Apple also says no court had ever forced a company to weaken the security of its products to gain access to personal individual information.

Gunman's victims urge Apple to work with FBI

A lawyer representing victims of the San Bernadino killers will file a legal brief telling Apple to cooperate with the FBI in its investigation.

 

Stephen Larson, a former judge, said he intends to file legal paperwork on their behalf next month.

The FBI has ordered Apple to disable the security software

on the killer's handset but the tech giant has refused.

In a new statement FBI Director James Comey said the demand was "about the victims and justice".

iPhone 'error 53' and issues fix- Apple apologises

Apple has said sorry to iPhone customers whose phones were disabled after third-party repairs, and issued a fix for the problem.

 

Some users found that their iPhone stopped working following servicing by a non-Apple technician and saw an "error 53" message in iTunes.

Google Paid Tech Apple $1bn in 2014 to keep search on iPhone'

A transcript of court proceedings from a copyright lawsuit against Google allegedly contains reference to a deal between the Silicon Valley firms.

The alleged agreement involves Google paying Apple a percentage of revenue - as much as 34% - gained through iOS devices.

 

Both companies declined to comment.

The BBC has not been able to verify the claims independently.

Bloomberg added that the referenced document has since been removed from the web.

"The transcript vanished without a trace from electronic court records at about 15:00," the report noted.