Apple began iPhone encryption fight last fall, in Brooklyn
By prosecutors’ count, Apple helped federal law enforcement agents extract information from iPhones in criminal investigations at least 70 times in seven years before suddenly expressing a change of heart last fall in an otherwise ordinary drug case out of Brooklyn.
Asked to help break into the phone of a suspected methamphetamine dealer, Apple refused to cooperate, taking a stand that foreshadowed last week’s clash with the federal government over a phone belonging to one of the San Bernardino, California, attackers.
“Public sensitivity to issues regarding digital privacy and security is at an unprecedented level,” the company’s lawyers said in a court filing. Forcing Apple to extract the data, they said, “could threaten the trust between Apple and its customers and substantially tarnish the Apple brand.”