Earlier this year, Special Agent Bennett had a leading role in the FBI’s battle with Apple over unlocking the iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, one of the individuals responsible for the attack in San Bernardino in December 2015. At that time, Special Agent Bennett was head of the FBI’s digital forensics labs, which were tasked with accessing the iPhone after Apple CEO Tim Cook defied the bureau’s order to unlock it.
“We were pretty surprised that this turned in such a way that it became this national debate. It was never intended to be,” Special Agent Bennett told The Herald.
When the FBI successfully unlocked the iPhone without Apple’s help, Special Agent Bennett said there wasn’t much fanfare. “There [weren’t] high fives, and there weren’t people singing down the hallways. It was very much business. ‘OK, let’s move forward to the next steps. Let’s get on the phone. What do we need to do to purchase the tool?'” he recalled.
Now, months later and serving in a new position, Special Agent Bennett can’t deny the existing tensions between the bureau and Silicon Valley. But he wants to ease the strained relations. “There are absolute, good reasons why companies have concerns about cooperating with the FBI,” he said. “But there are also opportunities [where] we should be able to talk to each other.”
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