Did you know that Google is also mandated to help the FBI by unlocking Android smartphones?
While Apple's San Bernardino fight may be over, it has been revealed that the Silicon Valley giant isn't the only company facing government demands at the center of a fierce debate over unlocking help in court, such as bypassing the lock screen and resetting the password.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has uncovered publicly available court documents that reveal that the government has asked Google to help federal authorities hack into at least nine locked Android smartphones under a 1789 law called the All Writs Act. The devices include phones from Alcatel, Kyocera and Samsung, many of which ship without the default encryption that blocks the use of traditional tools.
The ACLU found 63 such cases, where Google was asked to help access locked phones, mostly in the context of drug crime investigations. The ACLU also released 54 court cases in which federal authorities asked Apple to help them access information on a locked iPhone. However, this is the first time it has been confirmed that Google has received such requests.
“We have carefully reviewed subpoenas and court orders to ensure they meet both the letter and spirit of the law,” a Google spokesperson said. “However, we have never received an All Writs Act order like the one Apple recently fought. We will vigorously oppose such a decision.”
“From the beginning, we have objected to the FBI’s request to build a backdoor into the iPhone because we believe it is wrong and would create a dangerous opening,” Apple said. “We will continue to assist law enforcement, as we have done, and we will continue to increase the security of our products.”
