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 The FBI said in a letter to local authorities that it understands
the challenges they face and that they lack necessary tools to
monitor and investigate the communications of suspects who use
encrypted mobile devices, according to the correspondence obtained
by Reuters on Friday.
"As has been our longstanding policy, the FBI will of course
consider any tool that might be helpful to our partners," the FBI
said. "Please know that we will continue to do everything we can to
help you consistent with our legal and policy constraints."
The letter came five days after the U.S. Justice Department
announced that it had dropped its legal case against Apple Inc and
that it had successfully unlocked an iPhone used by Syed Farook, who
went on a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California, in
December, when he and his wife killed 14 people and wounded 22.
The abrupt end to the legal confrontation that transfixed the tech
industry was a victory for Apple, which vehemently opposed a court
order obtained by the Justice Department.
The justice department sought to have Apple write new software to
get into the iPhone and access data on it that was secured by
encryption.
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The FBI said in the letter that it was aware of the "worldwide
publicity and attention" that was generated by the Apple litigation
and that it was committed to maintaining "an open dialogue" with
local law enforcement.
"We are in this together," the FBI said.
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Shri
Navaratnam)
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