Why smartphones' "cop mode" might not keep cops out for much longer [telecom]

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The debate over "compelled decryption" is likely headed for the US Supreme Court.

by Patrick Howell O'Neill

I opened the YouTube app last night to watch a video about the anti-government protests in Hong Kong. A clever five-second ad from Apple preceded it. "This is how long it takes for FaceID to unlock your phone," the commercial said. The actor smiled, happily surprised as he successfully unlocked his phone just by looking at it.

The video then switched abruptly to Hong Kong, where local cops have been prying open protestors' shut eyes so that FaceID will unlock their smartphones, giving the cops near-instant access to what can be an entire life's worth of data.