FBI Director: Allowing access to iPhone may set precedent

FBI Director James Comey told the House Judiciary Committee of the United States Congress that Apple’s provision of access to the iPhone could set a precedent. This deviates from his earlier view.

Apple and the FBI on Tuesday presented their case before a Congressional committee that oversees, among other things, the judiciary and federal investigative services in the US. The FBI director’s comment about potential precedents came in response to a statement by committee chair Robert Goodlatte, who said the request for access to the iPhone would likely be followed by similar requests. According to Comey, every decision by a judge is at least a guideline for other judges, both positively and negatively.

Another member of Congress called the FBI’s request to Apple a “hopeless venture,” The Guardian said. Comey confronted Apple’s attorney Bruce Sewell during the debate. He argued that Apple is acting like a “venomous watchdog” and that it’s not the company’s job to guard public safety. Sewell responded by stating that the court order requested by the FBI from Apple is a way to end a productive debate on the case. He therefore wants the US Congress to come up with a balanced solution.

A member of Congress responded to this wish by saying that Sewell should pay attention to what he asks for because “he won’t like what Congress comes up with.” It is therefore not yet clear what the ultimate outcome of the power struggle between Apple and the FBI will be. In another case, a US judge earlier this week ruled against the use of an 18th-century law to gain access to the iPhone.