[NewsPoster]

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is no longer keeping its method to unlock the iPhone 5c at the center of the San Bernardino encryption debate a complete secret, as it is reportedly telling senators how it was accomplished. Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has allegedly been informed of what was done to the iPhone to bypass the encryption, with the FBI also said to be briefing Committee Chairman Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) on the same details in the near future.

The National Journal claims the two senators are being told what happened, as both are allegedly collaborating on a bill that would make it easier for law enforcement to access protected data as part of an investigation, with federal courts compelling tech companies to provide assistance. The legislation has apparently circulated for a long time, but has yet to be made public, and is said to be relatively vague in terms of what companies should do and when, and penalties for resisting the court.

According to Reuters, the Obama administration is not publicly supporting the supposed legislation, nor is it opposing it. Report sources claim the White House has provided feedback on the proposal to the senators, but it is declining to comment in a public fashion. The sources suggest the stance is an indicator that encryption bills will continue to be controversial, and isn't expected to gain much traction during an election year with the current Congress.

While some senators are allegedly being told the method of accessing the iPhone 5c, it appears Apple may not be filled in on the details. Earlier today, the FBI's general counsel advised it was still analyzing data from the device in question, and the decision on whether to allow Apple to know about it or not is still under discussion.

[MikeXRyan]

If I were the FBI I wouldn't bother telling Apple anything because the next iPhone will be unbreakable entirely and the FBI will be back in the same position it was before, trying to embarrass Apple publicly to gain access to OUR private data. And if Congress thinks for one minute they are going to pass a law that gives the FBI the authority to force any tech company to pass on their secrets we, the people, will throw every senator who votes for such a bill OUT of office.

How's that? My data belongs to me and me alone. No government entity is going to be breaking into my device and looking at what I have - this includes my bank accounts, my personal pictures, the addresses of my friends, what sites I visit - nothing. It is mine alone.

[sidewaysdesign]

If it did indeed take a week or at least several days to extract the data bit by bit (likely destroying the phone in the process), then it would seem to be too expensive and slow for the method to be regularly abused by the government — or criminals, for that matter.

Until the process can be sped up significantly, it seems like a reasonable balance between an individual's right to privacy and the government's responsibility to protect the public.

[thinkman]

In the San Bernardino case, I can see how the FBI or other law enforcement agencies might have a need to access the data from a cellphone, but IT SHOULD ONLY BE DONE BY THE MANUFACTURER, and only if the phone belonged to a terrorist or convicted felon, or someone who is deceased (with proper documentation from the surviving family requesting this information). The data should thereby be transferred on a thumb drive or DVD only to the agency.

Of course the glitch in this remedy is that if the means to access the data were ever to "go into the wild", every hacker, hacker nation, or government agency would have their mitts on it within hours — and we KNOW it would get out there at light speed. There would be absolutely no way to control or contain the software. None! So, Apple and all the other high-tech companies who stood with them are right! End of case.

Originally Posted by MikeXRyan 

And if Congress thinks for one minute they are going to pass a law that gives the FBI the authority to force any tech company to pass on their secrets we, the people, will throw every senator who votes for such a bill OUT of office.

Wrong. People will still be voting for our senators.

And the "secrets" that get passed on, I trust (and so should you), would be for these cases and only for those involved. Why, are you a shooter too?

Originally Posted by MikeXRyan 

How's that? My data belongs to me and me alone. No government entity is going to be breaking into my device and looking at what I have

Then don't commit felonies like the shooter did so that the government won't have to be on your case, and so that you don't come off like a pious cleptophobic in the meantime.