Apple Can’t Access iPhone Data

SAN FRANCISCO – Apple has told a US federal court that unlocking an iPhone using the latest OS to access user data, would be impossible. Apple said that in most cases now and in the future the company will be unable to assist governments in unlocking a current password-protected iPhone.The court is considering a request from the US Justice Department to order Apple to help government investigators access a seized iPhone.

The company said it could probably assist in the case of iPhones running an older OS. But for devices running iOS 8 or higher, Apple said it does not have the technical ability to take possession of a password-protected device and extract unencrypted user data.

Apple said the security features in iOS 8 prevent anyone without the device’s passcode from accessing encrypted data. It’s unclear why the Justice Department is seeking access to the iPhone.