FBI Cancels Encryption Showdown With Apple After “3rd Party” Showed Them How To Unlock iPhone

Following a mysterious “third party”‘s willingness to show The FBI how to unlock San Bernardino killer Farook’s iPhone, court records indicate that the US government wishes to cancel tomorrow’s showdown with Apple, filing a motion to vacate the hearing.

Hours after Tim Cook explcitly told the world (marketed) his firm would never sell out their privacy…

“For many of us, the iPhone is an extension of ourselves,” Cook said, according to USA Today. “We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and over our privacy. We did not expect to be in this position, at odds with our own government. But we have a responsibility to help you protect your data and protect your privacy. We owe it to our customers and we owe it to our country.”

“We will not shrink from this responsibility,” he added. In case the message wasn’t clear enough, Apple’s music selection spoke for them. At the end of the event, Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” blasted through the venue.

The US government filed a motion on Monday to vacate Tuesday’s hearing against Apple.

Here’s the filing: https://t.co/B4PLFqXBiF https://t.co/oStyEIEgbC

— Alina Selyukh (@alinaselyukh) March 21, 2016

“Outside Party” to the rescue – wonder if they were Russian?

According to the memorandum, “On Sunday, March 20, 2016, an outside party demonstrated to the FBI a possible method for unlocking Farook’s iPhone.” The third party and what the possible methods could be involved are both mysteries.

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Did Apple fold quietly behind the scenes? Is this how both sides save face with neither side appearing to have given an inch on their defense (or persecution) of personal liberty? Who knows, but if the US Government suddenly places an order for 1 million iPhone SEs, then we have our answer.