The Federal Bureau Investigation into the Pensacola shooting is still unable to access encrypted data on a suspect's iPhone, Director Christoper Wray has admitted, with no progress made on acquiring data from the device.
The FBI headquarters: The J. Edgar Hoover Building
Appearing at a House Judiciary Committee meeting on Wednesday, FBI Director Wray confirmed the lack of success in gaining access to any of the encrypted data held on the reconstructed iPhone. The smartphone in question is important to the investigation, as it belonged to the shooter behind the Naval Air Station attack in Pensacola, Florida in December.
Answering queries from Republican Matt Gaetz of Florida, Bloomberg reports Wray said the FBI is "currently engaged with Apple hoping to see if we can get better help from them so we can get access to that phone."
The FBI formally asked Apple to help it unlock a pair of iPhones in December, before asking again in January. An extra request was also made by US Attorney General William Barr, who also accused Apple of having provided no "substantive assistance" to the investigation.
On January 13, Apple denied the requests, while also rebutted Barr's comments. "We reject the characterization that Apple has not provided substantive assistance in the Pensacola investigation," Apple said. "Our responses to their many requests since the attack have been timely, thorough, and are ongoing."
The affair brings up the ongoing encryption debate once more, where government officials and law enforcement demand access to encrypted data via backdoors, while critics and tech companies fight back due to the potential weakening of encryption as a whole. Barr's comments are also thought to have caused concern among some FBI officials, who worry the statements may be harming existing relationships with the firms involved.