A few days ago, the FBI (with help from at least one unnamed third party) managed to crack the iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters.  I was skeptical.  While I’m no expert on disinformation, I know enough game theory to recognize the power of belief.  Specifically, what if the FBI had not cracked the iPhone but claimed they had?  That would, at a minimum, inhibit the use of iOS 9 among those engaging in illegal activities.  (In fact, why did they bother suing Apple in the first place? They should have just announced they had cracked the phone.)

In any case, this is one time I remembered to ask my experts before posting.  The consensus is that the FBI did manage to break into the phone.  They also pointed me to Jonathan Zdziarski’s blog, “Zdziarski’s blog of Things.”  I’ll just say that Mr. Zdziarski knows his way around iOS and Apple products.  Here’s a link to one of his many articles about the FBI crack.

All the experts agree on one thing, however.  The FBI has most likely found photos of the guy’s cats.