Earlier this week, it was first reported that the FBI had cracked the Apple iPhone used by Syed Farook in the San Bernardino mass shooting in early December of last year. The FBI had recovered an Apple iPhone from the car of the terrorists, but due to a password that was set on the phone, they had not able to access information inside that could potentially help them find further details and information on the case.

In the past months, controversy appeared when the FBI made legal charges against Apple, urging them to help develop a software that would allow them to tap into the iPhone, to potentially prevent further terrorist attacks. Apple argued that by developing a software for the government, they then could break into the phone, and that would betray the trust that their consumers have in them to protect their privacy and security.

That legal case has since been retracted by the Department of Justice. The FBI has managed to figure out a solution without the help of Apple to break into the iPhone, causing confusion amongst Apple and the public.

CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, has claimed that “Apple has been working to improve security for consumers'” (Courtesy of FoxNews). But this recent event where the government was able to break the barrier on this iPhone shows the flaws within Apple security. This leaves many customers concerned, but many believe that no device can be completely safe.

One of these customers that believe this is Nashoba student, Caroline Estey. Caroline says: “I wouldn’t want the government or anyone to hack into my phone, but I know that my phone isn’t completely secure in general,”.

This mindset of uncertainty toward security on iPhone’s is something that Apple has been trying to change for years, but as seen with the recent events, their efforts are not ready to be deemed completed. Many are concerned over the fact that the government now has the ability to break the barrier on a password protected phone when necessary.Some, however, are happy that the FBI has managed to gain access to the information inside the phone, and they aren’t as concerned with their privacy, but concerned with the security of the nation.

The method by which the FBI used to break into the iPhone has not been disclosed. It has also not yet been determined if the FBI was able to obtain any useful information with the phone, but as developments continue, American citizens will be very interested to know.