The court’s decision regarding the search of a suspect’s iPhone and iPad raises questions about whether manipulating a phone to make it accessible for search purposes constitutes a search under the Fourth Amendment. The case involved allegations of possession of child sexual abuse material, making it less likely for the public to sympathize with the defendant. Surprisingly, the government held onto 52 seized devices for over a year, bringing the suspect’s iPhone back to life to search it. The government was able to crack the phone and subsequently crack the iPad, showcasing a potential loophole in obtaining evidence from multiple Apple devices. This case prompts a discussion on the temporal limitations of warrants and the extent of physical and digital manipulation allowed in device searches.
https://www.techdirt.com/2024/12/04/federal-court-says-dismantling-a-phone-to-install-firmware-isnt-a-search-even-if-was-done-to-facilitate-a-search/