Dad Asks Apple CEO to Unlock Deceased Son’s iPhone

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Apple is being asked to get past the security of an iPhone to allow access to data stored inside, but this time from an individual instead of a law enforcement agency. An Italian father has written to CEO Tim Cook for assistance to unlock an iPhone 6, one owned by his deceased 13-year-old son during the last few months of his life, so that they can retrieve photographs, video, and anything else that can help preserve the memory of their child.

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A letter from Leonardo Fabbretti about his son Dama, quoted by the AFP for The Guardian, states “I cannot give up. Having lost my Dama, I will fight to have the last two months of photos, thoughts, and words which are held hostage in his phone. I think what’s happened should make you think about the privacy policy adopted by your company. Although I share your philosophy in general, I think Apple should offer solutions for exceptional cases like mine.”

Dama was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2013, passing away in September last year, and had access to the iPhone for almost nine months before his death. The father claims he was given access to the device’s storage via Touch ID, but since the phone was turned off when it was found, it requested a passcode after being powered back on, a code the father didn’t have.

The situation is similar to the FBI’s battle with Apple over the iPhone used in the San Bernardino attack, with the phone set to delete data automatically after ten failed attempts at the passcode. Unlike the FBI, which eventually managed to get into the device by other means, Mr Fabbretti is left asking Apple for mercy instead of going through the courts. Apple technical support was allegedly contacted by Fabbretti, but he was advised there was nothing the company can do to help get past the encryption.

Cellebrite, the same company said to be used by the FBI to access the phone in the center of the San Bernardino row, has apparently offered to try and open the phone for the father, for free. It is unknown if Fabbretti has taken up the offer, but he has asked for Apple to donate to Ethiopia or set up a grant for research into privacy issues if the photographs cannot be retrieved at all.

Via: MacNN.com