Apple’s head of product security to testify in iPhone encryption case
- mar
- 18
Apple's head of product security, Erik Neuenschwander, will appear as a witness for the company in court next week. Neuenschwander will testify as part of an evidentiary hearing in Apple's ongoing encryption fight with the FBI, alongside other witnesses from both the Bureau and the company. A declaration was filed this week with the U.S. District Court in which the hearing will be held, attesting to Neuenschwander's expertise in the matters at hand.
The declaration makes reference to GovtOS, which is what Apple calls the software that the FBI is asking them to create:
Thus, as noted in my initial declaration (ECF No. 16-33), the initial creation of GovtOS itself creates serious ongoing burdens and risks. This includes the risk that if the ability to install GovtOS got into the wrong hands, it would open a significant new avenue of attack, undermining the security protections that Apple has spent years developing to protect its customers.
According to The Verge, Apple will be focusing on what they feel is the government's improper use of the All Writs Act. The company will not focus on other mistakes the Bureau made in its handling of the phone.
The hearing, which takes place at 1 p.m. PT on March 22, will help determine whether Apple will be forced to help the FBI unlock the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. Apple has argued that forcing the company to perform such an action places their customers at risk, while the FBI argues that Apple needs to do more to help law enforcement.
