Apple has rejected a request from the Kenyan Government to unlock two iPhones.
The Kenyan Government has suddenly gotten the idea that invading privacy should be their right. Their willingness to violate privacy laws to get information is a a bit worrying. Recently, the Kenyan government wanted iPhone maker to unlock two phones for two suspects that have been under investigation for the last 6 months. This was revealed through the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) filings of December 23rd. They indicate that Apple received an appeal from Kenya seeking communication details on an iPhone that remained unlocked.
Why they can’t support the government.
In case you think that the tech company is biased you will find out that they have in the past denied the U.S government access to unlock an encrypted iphone before. iPhone has mentioned that they don’t believe in violating free speech right and therefore they cannot allow the Kenyan government to disclose information from that the Kenyan government is looking for.
“Examples of such requests are where law enforcement agencies are working on behalf of customers who have requested assistance regarding lost or stolen devices,” said the SEC in a report that lists countries that sought access to blocked iPhones.
“Additionally, Apple regularly receives multi-device requests related to fraud investigations. Device-based requests generally seek details of customers associated with devices or device connections to Apple services.”
If Apple was to accept the orders from the authorities they would b required to build a new software that would allow the government to bypass these devices security and unlock the phones. Knowing the government we doubt they would only use the software for investigative purposes only. This would end up with Apple in trouble as it would violate one of its core policies- user privacy.