USER DATA HANDOVER

Apple Gave FBI iCloud Data of George Floyd Protester Accused of Torching Cop Cars

Despite accusations from the president, Apple complied with almost 90 percent of U.S. government requests of individual user data in the second half of 2019.

Apple gave federal investigators access to vital personal data from a user suspected of arson during Seattle’s George Floyd protests in late May. According to Forbes, the FBI was tipped off about the identity of the suspect, Kelly Jackson, and had obtained Jackson’s Verizon records tied to an iPhone 7. The FBI then called on Apple, asking for Jackson’s iCloud information, a request the tech giant complied with. A video of a glass bottle being thrown into a cop car, as well as a screenshot of Molotov cocktail ingredients, are just some of the pieces of evidence Apple handed to the FBI. Law enforcement arrested Jackson last week and charged him with unlawful possession of a destructive device and arson. Although Apple has caught federal flak in the past for refusing to built a backdoor into its iOS operating system, the company has a record of cooperating with government requests for data. In the second half of 2019, it complied with almost 90 percent of personal data requests from the U.S. government.

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