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[Dalek]

Apple is asked for help to unlock iPhone 4s of man who killed Russian ambassador in Turkey

After an off-duty police officer shot dead the Russian ambassador to Turkey, Apple has been asked to help unlock an iPhone 4s recovered from the killer.

MacReports and other local media say that Apple is expected to refuse the request from Turkish authorities, but report that the Russian government has said it will help …

Russia is planning to send a special technical team to Turkey to unlock the iPhone, a senior Turkish official told us.

The case of course echoes that of the San Bernardino shooting, where Apple refused to help the FBI unlock a work phone used by one of the killers on the basis that any backdoor it created would inevitably end up falling into the wrong hands. The FBI subsequently got outside help to unlock the phone, where nothing of interest was found.

Andrei Karlov, the Russian ambassador to Turkey, was killed in Ankara on Monday by a man later identified as 22-year-old Mevlut Mert Altıntas, an off-duty riot police officer who used his police ID to gain access to the art gallery where Karlov was speaking. The killer shouted ‘Don’t forget Aleppo’ during the attack. Altıntas was subsequently killed in a shoot-out with Turkish special forces.

 

[Glass Shark]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

 

[rezuth]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

Cuz they want to shame them and get public approval.

 

[Soldnerschild]

Dunno, feels like stealth ad to me.

"Hey, look, our smartphones are SO safe that not even we can break it!

 

[ReAxion]

first of all, no. second of all, even the incompetent FBI can do this.

 

[Kthulhu]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

To create legal precedent.

Cuz they want to shame them and get public approval.

Also this.

 

[samn]

Dunno, feels like stealth ad to me.

"Hey, look, our smartphones are SO safe that not even we can break it!

It's a 4s without a secure enclave, so will end up being broken by a third party.

 

[Hjod]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

The Russians have already agreed to help.

To clearify, I'm talking about the Russian Government.

 

[Mindwipe]

Given it's a 4S there are plenty of private contractors who'll do it.

 

[Kthulhu]

Dunno, feels like stealth ad to me.

"Hey, look, our smartphones are SO safe that not even we can break it!

They realeased a statement earlier this year saying they probably could if they tried, but they won't because of the security risk.

The Russians have already agreed to help.

 

[Sapiens]

Lol a 4s I knew this guy was a chump.

 

[marrec]

A 4s doesn't need Apple intervention to get into it.

 

[pigeon]

Frankly, Apple should do it so that they can get a copy of the backup themselves for independent verification.

 

[Valkyr Junkie]

I believe the 4S is the last iPhone that can be unlocked with some of the commercially available phone examination tools.

 

[dallow_bg]

A 4S?

They don't need help.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

It's a tactic. The authorities use big incidents like this one to pressure Apple and normalise the unlocking of phones to the general public.

The plan is for it to eventually reach a point where when you're picked up for attending a political rally against the ruling party, they'll use your phone to find out who you've been in touch with, etc.

 

[FStop7]

Fuck no.

 

[The Albatross]

Russian technical team will have this thing unlocked in 15minutes. I don't get why they'd ask Apple, it's not like Turkey has any reasonable due process under Erdogan when it comes to enemies of the state or that Russia or Turkey have any precedent for respecting privacy.

 

[NekoFever]

Not sure why these people keep going straight to Apple when there are plenty of more illicit people and places who would be happy to help for the right price and no publicity...

Apple does it and then it creates precedent both that it can and that it will. Then it's much harder for Apple to refuse when the authorities come for help with increasingly minor crimes.

 

[vwnut13]

Try p@ssw0rd.

 

[DudeWithNoName]

Apple needs to tell them to get bent.

 

[Zero Hero]

It's because Apple were the only ones to still have an old ass 30 pin cable.

 

[Mammoth Jones]

It's a tactic. The authorities use big incidents like this one to pressure Apple and normalise the unlocking of phones to the general public.

The plan is for it to eventually reach a point where when you're picked up for attending a political rally against the ruling party, they'll use your phone to find out who you've been in touch with, etc.

Sadly this is the truth.