By: Jeremy Pelzer Source: Cleveland.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Apple and Google need to modify their new encryption software so law-enforcement can more easily access evidence from cell phones, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and national law-enforcement leaders.
In a letter sent to the tech giants on Wednesday, DeWine asked the companies to find a "technological middle-ground" that allows officers to access text messages, pictures, and other data on Apple and Android phones while protecting consumer privacy.
The heads of the National District Attorneys Association, FBI Agents Association, and National Sheriffs' Association also signed the letter.
DeWine spokesman Dan Tierney said, for example, that officers have had trouble recovering deleted pictures or messages from such phones. Tierney declined to give more details about what kinds of access DeWine and the other leaders are seeking, saying he didn't want to tip off criminals.
The letter was also vague on such details, though it referenced officials' belief that the terrorists behind the Paris attacks used encrypted software. It also noted that police recovered vital evidence in the Steubenville rape case that was used to prosecute two high school football players.
"The new Apple and Android encryption methods place our national security at risk," the letter stated. Tierney said the letter has been in the works for months and did not come solely as a result of the Paris attacks.
An Apple spokesman declined comment. Google did not return a phone call and email sent Wednesday afternoon.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. also called Wednesday for federal legislation requiring companies to design encryption codes so police can access the data inside.
Civil liberties groups and several tech companies have opposed such efforts, saying that creating a so-called "back door" to their security coding could be exploited by hackers and allow users in foreign countries to be monitored by their government.
Full letter.