FBI Helping Other Agencies Crack Apple's IPhone
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The FBI is now offering help to other law enforcement agencies crack the Apple iPhone just one week after unlocking an that phone used by the San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook.
Alex DeMetrick reports, it's a push back against "going dark."
Trying to crack into the iPhone of one of the San Bernardino murderers, forced the FBI to find a way after Apple refused to help.
The FBI won't say who cracked it, but companies routinely work to restore files on iPhones that have been damaged.
"This is the chip that holds all the data for the iPhone in the encryption form," said Michael Cobb, with , DriveSavers Data Recovery.
Enter the wrong password ten times and the memory is wiped clean, what the FBI calls going dark.
A solution the FBI says it will now share with other law enforcement agencies.
"The digital fingerprint that criminals leave is absolutely valuable to investigators,' said police expert Rob Weinhold.
A letter obtained by CBS News, says "The FBI will of course consider any tool that might be helpful to our partners. Please know that we will continue to do everything we can to help you consistent with our legal and policy constraints. We are in this together."
"With this type of tool or resource, it's not about invasion of privacy. It's about collecting evidence, and that's what we would use it for," said Baltimore Police Lt. Jarron Jackson.
And what if your phone inadvertently catches images of a crime, and police want to check out what's become a digital diary for many of us?
"I'd be willing to bet anyone was asked to turn over their iPhone for a couple of days analysis would be extremely anxious," Weinhold says.
"It's not about family pictures or what you're looking at on Facebook, this is about solving crimes and helping victims," said Jackson.
Not that Baltimore police have taken up the FBI offer, at least not yet.
Baltimore Police tell WJZ they do not currently have any locked iPhones that require the FBI's help.
