FBI finds another organisation to unlock San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone – postpones court hearing

So the FBI postponed a court hearing in its ongoing case to force Apple to unlock an iPhone. Story is that the FBI found another organisation to unlock the phone.

A few things remain unexplained:
• the purpose of this case was widely believed to be the FBI selecting the best case to establish a precedent for forcing a tech company to decrypt a phone
• Cellebrite, the company believed to have been engaged to decrypt the iPhone, has a long standing association with the FBI – why did it take them so long to think of using Cellebrite again?

Unexplained, unless the FBI expected to lose in court.

Plus, the subtext of this case has been, “Nobody but Apple can decrypt an iPhone & they won’t do it.” And now the FBI claims it’s found someone who can & will.

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/03/the-company-helping-unlock-the-san-bernardino-iphone-has-a-long-history-of-selling-gear-to-us-police/

http://fortune.com/2016/03/26/apple-fbi-tim-cook/ / company helping unlock San Bernardino iPhone long history selling gear US Police company helping FBI access San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone data USA data-extraction tools Cellebrite has been helping US law enforcement arsenal surveillance gear FBI postponed hearing yesterday force Apple write software decrypt unlock weaken security San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone unidentified outside third party solution Apple’s help Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth outside party Cellebrite forensics firm specialises getting data off mobile devices unconfirmed report not able to comment identity outside party FBI spokesperson Cellebrite cosy relationship US law enforcement Intercept catalogue government surveillance gear ACLU staff attorney Nathan Wessler Cellebrite device favourite of police departments everywhere Cellebrite making millions FBI contracts Motherboard reports
public records Cellebrite’s US subsidiary $2 million worth of purchase orders FBI purchase order agency software renewals Apple hearing was order Chicago San Bernardino FBI Cellebrite US federal contracts Drug Enforcement Agency Patent and Trademark Office US Immigrations Custom Enforcement Transportation Security Administration State Department Cellebrite’s gear high-profile terrorism cases federal agencies state local law enforcement equipment get data off mobile devices Universal Forensics Extraction Device investigative tool sophisticated surveillance technology Cellebrite gear potential abused abuse Michigan State Police Cellebrite technology access smartphone data getting a warrant ACLU records Cellebrite device usage Freedom of Information Act retrieving records cost hundreds thousands of dollars ACLU has not received records prohibitive cost Cellebrite salvage data San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone law enforcement let Apple off the hook Cellebrite a ton of positive publicity FBI avoid embarrassing precedent-setting loss in court FBI set a precedent forcing tech companies assist in investigations Pyrrhic victory for the Bureau Cellebrite company’s technology Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI frequent customer /