The San Bernardino shooter's phone isn't the only one the federal government is asking Apple to unlock, as there are reports the FBI is seeking access to at least nine other iPhones.
Exactly how many phones the government wants access to is undetermined, as The New York Times says there are "at least nine" phones nationwide and the Wall Street Journal reports investigators seek data from phones in 12 undisclosed cases nationwide.
NYT reports Apple opposes the government's demands in at least seven cases, according to a letter unsealed in federal court from Marc J. Zwillinger, one of Apple's lawyers. "Apple has not agreed to perform any services on the devices," reads Mr. Zwillinger's letter.
According to WSJ, there are four cases in Illinois, three in New York, two in California, two in Ohio and one in Massachusetts, where the government has asked for access to locked phones.
The cases involving the phones in question don't involve terrorism cases; rather, they are "run-of-the-mill prosecutions for offenses like drug trafficking and pornography, rather than a high-profile terrorism investigation," reports NYT.
Prosecutors indicate Apple deferred compliance with the court orders to unlock these phones instead of going to court, according to WSJ.
Additionally, legal experts told WSJ some of these other cases include phones that use an older version of Apple's operating system, which has fewer security barriers. The similarity, though, is that the government is trying to use the legal system to force Apple to unlock the phones.
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