Lawmakers still really, really want to crack iPhones
Apple vs. the FBI was far from the last word on governments trying to beat encryption—and now the Justice Department is making another push to make it happen.
Still desperate: Forbes reports that police are using dead people’s fingerprints to unlock smartphones. Motherboard says the State Department purchased a $15,000 device from Grayshift, a firm that employs ex-Apple staff, to unlock iPhones.
Renewed interest: The New York Times says the Justice Department is making a new push to force tech firms to build back doors into encrypted devices.
The plan: The newspaper reports that FBI and DoJ officials are “convinced that mechanisms allowing access to the data can be engineered without intolerably weakening the devices’ security against hacking.”
Can that work? With current tech, not really. But a recent report from the National Academy of Sciences and reporting by the Times says that some researchers—including some from Microsoft, UC San Diego, Intel, and MIT—are trying to make it happen. So maybe one day.
Deep Dive
Uncategorized

It will soon be easy for self-driving cars to hide in plain sight. We shouldn’t let them.
If they ever hit our roads for real, other drivers need to know exactly what they are.

Maximize business value with data-driven strategies
Every organization is now collecting data, but few are truly data driven. Here are five ways data can transform your business.

Cryptocurrency fuels new business opportunities
As adoption of digital assets accelerates, companies are investing in innovative products and services.

Where to get abortion pills and how to use them
New US restrictions could turn abortion into do-it-yourself medicine, but there might be legal risks.
Stay connected

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.