Three new companies filed a lawsuit against the FBI, asking the court to force the Presidency to reveal how much the unlocking of the iPhone used by Syed Rizwan Farook in the San Bernardino shootings in December 2015 cost.
Associated Press, Vice Media and Gannett, which filed a lawsuit in late 2015, said there is no reason for the FBI not to disclose this information, explaining that such details do not endanger national security in any way.
The journalistic organizations relied on the Freedom of Information Act to persuade the court to rule in their favor, explaining that the hacker's identity and the cost of the process should be publicly available information.
«While it is not disputed that the seller developed the access tool for the iPhone, the government has found no rational reason why knowing the seller's identity is in any way linked to the essence of the tool, much less that this knowledge would reveal any information regarding the tool's application» the companies that have filed a lawsuit claim, according to the BBC.
The FBI initially sued Apple, in an attempt to force the company to hack the iPhone itself, but despite the court ruling, Cupertino refused to do so, believing that the security of all Americans and its customers could be put at risk.
The agency eventually turned to a third party believed to be Cellebrite, the Israeli security firm, and then an unknown hacking group, who managed to hack the iPhone. The FBI was able to unlock the device and extract the stored information, but details about the company or group that helped them hack the phone have not been released.
People familiar with the matter said the FBI spent more than $1 million on the software that managed to crack the iPhone, but that price has not been confirmed by the agency itself.
