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Apple to authorities: No iPhone user data, even with a warrant

The "back door" that allowed the government to gain access to the call logs and text messages of iPhone users no longer exists.

By Aileen Graef
The iPhone 5s is displayed at the Apple store on September 9, 2014 in Chicago. Apple announced new products Tuesday including the iPhone 6, Apple Pay and the Apple Watch during a press event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California. UPI/Brian Kersey
The iPhone 5s is displayed at the Apple store on September 9, 2014 in Chicago. Apple announced new products Tuesday including the iPhone 6, Apple Pay and the Apple Watch during a press event at their headquarters in Cupertino, California. UPI/Brian Kersey | License Photo

CUPERTINO, Calif., Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Apple has found the solution to being forced to hand over iPhone user data to the government and law enforcement: make it impossible.

Amid concerns of data privacy after the revelations from NSA leaker Edward Snowden, tech companies including Yahoo, Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft have come under fire for handing over data under the table for surveillance.

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Apple will no longer be a part of this, the company announced Wednesday. In its latest software update, the company is prevented from accessing any information about users that may be requested by authorities. A feature that won't change even if a search warrant is issued.

Before the iOS 8 update, Apple could, at the request of authorities, bypass an iPhone user's passcode and access all the data stored on the phone including their FaceTime calls and iMessage archives. The iOS 8 software encryption removes the "back door" into the iPhone, thus removing the company's access.

Apple can still be compelled to hand over data saved on its iCloud servers -- app data, emails and data backups -- but users can change their settings so the information isn't put in the cloud.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook addressed the change in the privacy policy, subtly throwing an elbow at its competitor Google.

"Our business model is very straightforward: We sell great products," he wrote. "We don't build a profile based on your email content or Web-browsing habits to sell to advertisers."

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