FBI drops case against Apple after unlocking San Bernardino shooter's phone

Protesters in front of the federal court in Riverside, California.

(Image credit: Frederic J. Brown/Getty Images)

last updated 29 March 2016

The FBI has unlocked San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone and is dropping its legal fight with Apple, federal officials said Monday.

In a statement, prosecutors said the decision to "conclude the litigation was based solely on the fact that, with the recent assistance of a third party, we are now able to unlock that iPhone without compromising any information on the phone." The FBI had been seeking Apple's assistance in unlocking the encrypted phone, with the company fighting back, saying it would threaten the privacy of all customers.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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