Key Verdict: A U.S. judge ruled that Apple doesn't have to unlock drug dealer iPhones

Beijing time on March 1 news, according to foreign media reports, Apple won a key verdict in the process of dispute with the US government over privacy rights. A Brooklyn judge ruled that Apple didn't have to assist law enforcement in unlocking an iPhone that belonged to a drug dealer.

For months, Apple has rejected requests from U.S. law enforcement to assist investigators in unlocking encrypted iPhones. A California judge ordered Apple last month to assist prosecutors in extracting information from terrorists' cell phones, making the dispute between the two sides public. But Apple has been spending months in the Brooklyn court to respond to law enforcement requests to help unlock drug traffickers' phones.

U.S. District Judge James Ornstein ruled Monday that the U.S. government's demands on Apple were unrealistic and excessive. "It would be absurd to conclude that all the powers sought by the government are legitimate," he said in a 50-page opinion paper.

After assisting prosecutors unlock at least 70 iPhones, Apple stopped working together last year and said it would no longer serve as a government helper. Apple CEO Tim Cook said this month that the U.S. government's request to unlock the iPhone was a chilling privacy attack. The U.S. government says Apple is more concerned about its marketing and brand awareness than public safety.

Apple's ruling on Monday is sure to be encouraging, and the latter is now dealing with the case at both the court and the end of public opinion. It would at least provide a legal basis for Apple to reject government requests. Apple's dispute with the U.S. government in a California court is likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court, when Orenstein's ruling may provide a reference for the Supreme Court's decision. The U.S. Congress has scheduled a hearing on the incident.

While Apple and other companies have developed even more robust encryption mechanisms, the end result of the Brooklyn and California cases could have lasting implications for personal privacy, national security, sector law enforcement, and the tech industry. Orenstein was the first judge to thoroughly examine what information was available to the government and what was not. Prosecutors across the country are watching the case, including prosecutors whose investigations are struggling because of encrypted iPhones.

Apple has rejected at least 12 requests to help unlock the iPhone, and the Brooklyn case is just one of them. It is almost certain that U.S. prosecutors will appeal the ruling. Apple has contested the California court's ruling, which has yet to be closed.

The Brooklyn prosecutors had hoped that Apple would help bypass users' iPhone passwords and download data that would break into older iOS 7 systems.

Apple has not commented.

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