But who owns the device?
In general, it’s good that Apple is refusing to break into its own security system, and it’s good that the security appears to be working, too well for some. But surely this is an exceptional case.
The news reports indicate that it is the county itself who owns the phone. Do they not have a legal right to access what is on their system? Although the phone was legally used by an employee, does that employee have a legal right to expect to keep their data private? I thought that this would be similar whether your boss has legal access to emails on your work account.
I’m (obviously) not a lawyer, but I wonder whether the real owner has the legal and moral right ask for help picking the lock. Apple would then have the face-saving option of agreeing on the grounds that they are assisting the owner and not some evil third party, and that this could not possibly set a precedent for government to gain access to everybody else’s phone.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
