AP and Vice sue FBI for San Bernardino iPhone hack info
They're filing under the FOIA act.
The Associated Press and the Gannett Satellite Information Network, parent company to USA Today and Vice Media, filed suit against the FBI in federal court on Friday demanding information on how the bureau broke into the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. The news organizations are leveraging the Freedom of Information Act in their lawsuit, arguing that the FBI has no expectation to privacy regarding the methods used to crack the shooter's phone encryption and that those methods should be disclosed to the public.
This lawsuit stems from the FBI's attempts earlier this year to break through the Apple iPhone's encryption system and access any pertinent data relating to its investigation of the San Bernardino terrorist attack. The FBI first attempted to coerce Apple into building a backdoor, then reportedly paid more than $1 million for a "third-party solution" after their initial efforts were rebuffed by both the company and the courts. Whatever that solution entailed worked, sorta. The FBI were able to access the phone but found nothing that furthered its investigation and in doing so further heightened the public's distaste for governmental surveillance.
