The FBI should try to unlock a shooter’s iPhone without Apple’s help, a lawmaker says

The FBI might be able to copy the hard drive of an iPhone used by a mass shooter without triggering the device’s auto-erase functions, thus eliminating the agency’s need to take Apple to court, a company executive said Tuesday.

Instead of forcing Apple to help defeat the iPhone password security that erases the device’s contents after 10 unsuccessful attempts, it may be possible to make hundreds of copies of the hard drive, said Bruce Sewell, Apple’s senior vice president and general counsel.

Apple doesn’t know the condition of the iPhone used by San Bernardino mass shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, so it’s unclear if mirroring the hard drive would work, but it’s possible, Sewell said during a congressional hearing.

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