FBI is asking courts to legalize crypto backdoors because Congress won’t

In the first ruling of its kind, a New York magistrate said Monday he won’t require Apple to assist the government in unlocking a drug dealer’s iPhone. US Magistrate Judge James Orenstein ruled that Congress has already forbidden what the government wants. Orenstein, taking Apple’s position, ruled that President Bill Clinton-era legislation requires telcos to ensure that their facilities have surveillance capabilities like wiretapping. But the Communications Assistance For Law Enforcement Act, the judge noted, generally barred companies from having to decrypt messages.