allwritsact
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The Feds are demanding that Google unlock phones as well
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) compiled and released a map of where the federal government is currently taking Apple, Google -- and in some cases, both -- to court in order to compel the companies to unlock a suspect's phone. There are reportedly 70 cases in which federal prosecutors have invoked the All Writs Act, according to court records from October. The ACLU managed to turn up 63 of them -- nine of which targeted Google; the rest, Apple.
US courts hope an old law will help them bypass phone encryption
Federal law enforcement might not be having much success pushing for laws that require a security backdoor on your phone, but that doesn't mean it's out of options. Judges (including one who published an opinion on a New York fraud case) have been leaning on the All Writs Act, a 1789 law granting courts power to carry out their duties, to compel phone makers to provide "reasonable technical assistance" in unlocking devices. Theoretically, this could force vendors to help decrypt phones when they'd otherwise say they couldn't.
