Police May Have New Ways To Access Data On Locked iPhones
A leaked training video suggests that law enforcement may have found a way to bypass Apple's 'inactivity reboot' security feature on iPhones using tools from Magnet Forensics. This development potentially allows police to access encrypted data even after a device has been locked for an extended period.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing tension between digital privacy rights and law enforcement's ability to conduct investigations on encrypted devices.
A training video reportedly demonstrates how police can evade an Apple security feature.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Add Engadget on Google: Preferred Source Google Discover Privacy is one of Apple's core tenets, and in 2024, the company began equipping many iPhones with an inactivity reboot feature. This automatically restarts the device if it has not been unlocked for more than 72 hours. In practice, this has meant that law enforcement officials have been unable to access information on a smartphone. However, 404 Media reported that it has seen a training video made for law enforcement that allegedly demonstrates how tools made by Magnet Forensics can access data usually made unavailable by iPhones' inactivity reboot.
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