An appeals court judge in Florida has ruled Fifth Amendment protections don’t apply to iPhone passwords, meaning you can be compelled to hand over your passcode. This goes against an earlier ruling which stated forcing a suspect to provide their password would violate Constitutional protections against self-incrimination.
Judge Anthony Black of the Florida Court of Appeals Second District gave the ruling.
Unquestionably, the State established, with reasonable particularity, its knowledge of the existence of the passcode, Stahl’s control or possession of the passcode, and the self-authenticating nature of the passcode. This is a case of surrender and not testimony. – Black
This is just the latest in a long line of incidents based around law enforcement looking for ways to gain access to protected electronic devices.
