Lawmaker to FBI: Don't use iPhone unlock case to bypass Congress on encryption
The letter argues that the FBI's motion to compel Apple to help unlock one of the San Bernardino terrorists' phones will "open the floodgates" to the same demands down the line.
A US lawmaker has asked the FBI to drop its lawsuit compelling Apple to help unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters.
Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA, 33rd) said in a letter to FBI director James Comey on Tuesday that the motion should be "withdrawn," rather than let the case "circumvent the critical and necessary policy discussions."
Lieu argued that Congress should be charged with legislating on the matter to debate "these exact issues."
It's the latest move by a member of Congress in the long-running battle between tech companies and the government on matters of encryption.
Lieu's office confirmed that the FBI had acknowledged receipt of the letter. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
A spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment, but referred back to comments Comey made on Sunday about "victims and justice."
The battle came to a head earlier this month when the FBI sought and won a motion to compel Apple to write new software that would allow federal agents to beat the security feature that erases the data on the subject phone.
The phone was used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, murdered 14 people in San Bernardino, California in December 2015.