In a surprising turn of events, the FBI no longer needs Apple's help in unlocking an iPhone used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook. A hearing that was scheduled for today was canceled on Monday after the FBI revealed that they think they've found a way into the phone.
The US Department of Justice on Monday requested a motion to cancel a Tuesday hearing on whether a federal court order could force Apple to help it open the phone, which is protected by encryption. US Magistrate Sheri Pym, the same judge who previously ordered Apple to help unlock the encrypted iPhone, approved the motion.
The canceled hearing is a strange twist in a heated battle over whether a court can order a company to create software to break its own privacy protections at the government's request.
This is a positive thing for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's reassuring that the FBI isn't being outwitted by terrorists. Secondly, Apple will (likely) not be forced to create a backdoor software program that it doesn't want to create and believes could potentially be very dangerous.
Fingers crossed that the FBI finally has things figured out.
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