FBI's retreat doesn't mean its war with Apple is over

Apple's battle with the FBI in San Bernardino may be over, but the iPhone wars continue

Even after the FBI gave up on getting a judge to compel Apple to hack the San Bernardino shooter's work-issued iPhone, the tech company is still bogged down in orders to assist authorities in unlocking iOS devices in 14 other cases

The showdown in San Bernardino—which ended in a poof after the FBI found an unnamed third party to make its desired backdoor, just days before both sides were set to duke it out in court—could still affect those other cases, legal experts said.

When it comes to the central question of whether the government can compel Apple or other private companies to assist it with accessing data on locked devices under the All Writs Act, the FBI's chosen weapon in San Bernardino— that has not changed. The All Writs Act of 1789 is a catchall rule of sorts that allows judges to compel an action so long as it's legal and necessary. Read more...