FBI Admits Vastly Inflating Number of Unsearchable Mobile Devices
For seven months, FBI Director Christopher A. Wray argued that the FBI and other law enforcement agencies needed “exceptional access” to be built into mobile devices, such as cellphones and tablets. To justify his argument, he said that in 2017 the FBI had been “unable to access the content of approximately 7,800 mobile devices using appropriate and available technical tools, even though there was legal authority to do so.”
He referred to the rapid increase in the number of unsearchable devices the bureau was encountering as “Going Dark,” claiming it would eventually result in law enforcement being unable to access any mobile device even with a valid court order.
