CALIFORNIA: FBI Unlocks San Bernardino Terrorist’s iPhone On Their Own, Drops Lawsuit Against Apple

From the Los Angeles Times:

Federal officials on Monday dropped their legal fight against Apple after unlocking the iPhone used by an assailant in last year’s San Bernardino terror attack, leaving unsettled a vexing debate over privacy and security amid rapid advances in technology.

The move comes a week after Justice Department officials put a sudden hold on their demands that Apple assist the FBI with an announcement that an outside group had offered a way to hack into the iPhone.

Aided by the unnamed group, FBI technology experts had been at work since, testing the technique to confirm it could open the iPhone without jeopardizing its contents. The breakthrough came over the weekend, when the information stored on the phone was extracted, said a federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Yesterday Apple issued a statement saying that the suit should never have been brought in the first place. (Tipped by JMG reader David)