A New York judge has sided with Apple, saying the Justice Department cannot force the tech giant to unlock an iPhone for a drug case.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein ruled late Monday that the federal government should not have access to the users’ data, according to a report.
His decision comes weeks after California Magistrate Judge Sheri Pym ordered Apple to create software that would allow U.S. officials to access information on the phones of the San Bernardino terrorists, Tashfeen Malik and Syed Rizwan Farook. The two took orchestrated a workplace shooting in December that killed 14 people.
Apple CEO Tim Cook formally opposed the California ruling. Cook said changing encryption standards would give the government the ability to hack into users’ phones, which the company viewed as an overreach of its legal authority.
The court standoff has led to congressional consideration on the government’s right to access the phone records of terrorists. The House Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing Tuesday to question FBI Director James Comey about details regarding the agency’s request for the new software.
