-In the United States, the F.B.I.'s demands that
Apple help "unlock" an iPhone used by a mass killer in California opened a heated debate on privacy, The New York Times reports. "After recent attacks on the Continent, like the
bombings
in Brussels last week and the
wave of violence in Paris last November, governments across the European Union are increasingly pushing for greater access to people's digital lives." Read more
here.
Just days after breaking into a terrorist's iPhone using a mysterious third-party technique, FBI officials on Friday told local law enforcement agencies it will assist them with unlocking phones and other electronic devices. According to
Buzzfeed, a copy of the letter describing the offer "was sent in response to law enforcement inquiries about its new method of unlocking devices - a technique the FBI said was successful at gaining access to the iPhone 5C belonging to one of the shooters in the deadly San Bernardino, California, attack."
Some states are already taking the FBI up on that offer. The Associated Press reports that the FBI agreed last week to help an Arkansas prosecutor unlock an iPhone and iPod belonging to two teenagers accused of killing a couple. The full story is
here.
-A lull in high-profile data breaches prompted insurers to cut cyber insurance rates for high-risk businesses such as retailers and healthcare companies during the first three months of this year, according to insurance industry brokers, Reuters reports. "The dip comes after sudden rate hikes for many firms last year in the wake of a spate of attacks on Home Depot Inc, Target Corp, Anthem Inc and others,"
writes Jim Finkle. "The average price companies in high-risk industries paid for $1 million in cyber insurance coverage fell 13 percent to $18,756 in the first three months of 2016, according to broker Marsh, a unit of Marsh & McLennan Cos Inc."
The Cyber Security and Privacy Research Institute (CSPRI) is a center for GW and the Washington area to promote technical research and policy analysis of problems that have a significant computer security and information assurance component. More information is available at our website, http://www.cspri.seas.gwu.edu.