WASHINGTON – Apple engineers have embarked on a race to develop new security measures that would make it impossible for governments to break into a locked iPhone, using methods similar to those now at the centre of a court fight in California.If Apple succeeds in upgrading its security, the company would create a significant technical challenge for law enforcement agencies, even if the Obama Administration wins its fight over access to data stored on an iPhone used by one of the killers in last year’s San Bernardino rampage.
If the FBI wanted to get into a phone in the future, it would need to find a new way to do it. That would most likely prompt a new cycle of court fights and, yet again, more technical fixes by Apple.
Since the revelations of government surveillance made by Edward Snowden, companies have been retooling their products to protect against government intrusion.
For Apple, security is also a marketing strategy. New security measures would not only help its fight with the FBI, but would also reassure investors and customers.
