Feds pushing new plan for encrypted mobile device unlocks via court order

Enlarge / Ray Ozzie, former chief software architect at Microsoft Corp., speaks during the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008. (credit: Jonathan Alcorn/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The Department of Justice is pushing for a new industry proposal that would grant law enforcement access to encrypted digital devices with a warrant, according to a new report by The New York Times.

For years, top federal law enforcement officials have advocated for a way to overcome what they call the "going dark" problem-the occasional inability to access data kept on an encrypted smartphone or tablet even when a judge has granted that authority. In recent months, the FBI director, among others, has emphasized the problem's severity.

"I recognize this entails varying degrees of innovation by the industry to ensure lawful access is available," FBI Director Christopher Wray said in a speech earlier this month. "But I just don't buy the claim that it's impossible."

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