this post was submitted on 11 Sep 2023
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My memory from the time was that the FBI probably wanted a court to grant presidence, even though they had the tools to do it anyway. Having a court order to break iPhone encryption would make state surveillance easier nationwide. Once public opinion turned and 1st amendment rights were brought into it, the FBI backed down and eventually were able to crack into the phone in the slower way (that they probably knew they'd be able to all along). And of course, 7 years later, there is no report of any information being found on that phone which lead to taking down terrorists or preventing other mass shootings.
They wanted a precedent, but one much more serious than for getting help accessing a single iPhone, they wanted a precedent to obtaining a general backdoor to access ALL phones from a given manufacturer.
Meaning, getting backdoors from all manufacturers to access every phone passing through the hands of the FBI, CIA, TSA, random cops (they all can already force you to biometrically unlock it, but not if you only use a PIN)... possibly sharing the tool with Five Eyes friends... and very likely having it leaked like the $1 TSA keys on AliExpress, available to players like the CCP, FSB, Iran, and everyone.
From there, to mandating all manufacturers to make those backdoors available from day one, or trying to pass some genius laws like in the UK or Australia, asking for the decryption keys to all encryption keys to be "deposited with a trusted authority", or gag orders that forbid even mentioning having a gag order to introduce a backdoor... it's not even a slippery slope, it's just copying actual legislation already proposed or approved in friendly countries.
And it's far from over, it's a constant battle between the good guys wanting "just a tiny backdoor", and reality where any broken encryption, is open to everyone, no middle grounds.