Apple won’t turn over data for most iPhones, even with search warrant
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by Carol Thompson

A new privacy policy released Wednesday night will make it impossible for Apple to turn over data for most iPhones and iPads, even with a search warrant.

According to Apple’s website, “Government information requests are a consequence of doing business in the digital age. We believe in being as transparent as the law allows about what information is requested from us. In addition, Apple has never worked with any government agency from any country to create a backdoor in any of our products or services. We have also never allowed any government access to our servers. And we never will.”

The new policy comes on the heels of the release of Apple’s latest mobile operating system, iOS 8.

Apple’s latest encryption on iOS 8 is such that even Apple can’t unlock your iPhone if it doesn’t know your passcode, according to the company.

Apple’s latest encryption on iOS 8 is such that even Apple can’t unlock your iPhone if it doesn’t know your passcode, according to the company. “On devices running iOS 8, your personal data such as photos, messages (including attachments), email, contacts, call history, iTunes content, notes, and reminders is placed under the protection of your passcode,” the website notes.

It continues, “Unlike our competitors, Apple cannot bypass your passcode and therefore cannot access this data. So it’s not technically feasible for us to respond to government warrants for the extraction of this data from devices in their possession running iOS 8.”

Authorities will continue to have access to data stored within iCloud. “iCloud only stores content for the services that the subscriber has elected to maintain in the account while the subscriber’s account remains active. Apple does not retain deleted content once it is cleared from Apple’s servers. iCloud content may include stored photos, documents, contacts, calendars, bookmarks and iOS device backups. iOS device backups may include photos and videos in the users’ camera roll, device settings, app data, iMessage, SMS, and MMS messages and voicemail. iCloud content may be provided in response to a search warrant issued upon a showing of probable cause,” according to the company.

Apple released its iPhone 6 today amongst waiting crowds. Some stores reported having a thousand people in their pre-order lines.

Image: Flickr   Yasunobu Ikeda

 

 

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