How to Keep Law Enforcement Out of Your Face ID & Touch ID Devices
If you’re ever faced with a situation of handing over your iPhone to law enforcement, whether the police, feds, or court system, there are things you can do to prevent them from getting access to all that potentially self-incriminating data.
We’ve mentioned multiple times before that Face ID and Touch ID aren’t your friends when it comes to law enforcement, and that’s even more clear now with a search warrant that was recently made public pertaining to the investigation by federal authorities into possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.
The search warrant gave access to the premises and electronic devices (specifically, two iPhone models) of Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former lawyer, to uncover evidence of bank fraud and hush money payments.
Detailed in the search warrant (start at page 77), it outlines the process of gaining access to Cohen’s two iPhone devices, both apparently locked using Face ID or Touch ID. The highlight of the document is when advice is given to use Cohen’s face or fingerprint to unlock the devices. While it’s totally acceptable for authorities to do so, it’s not as easy for them to force you to use your passcode.
In other cases, it’s been discovered that the law can’t make you enter or give your…
