Users of Apple products such as iPhones, iPads and Mac laptops often hear about privacy concerns about their devices. However, privacy issues extend to all sorts of digital gadgets that may be used by some dangerous parties to commit crimes. This is why there is a hot debate right now whether or not devices such as iPhones should be made accessible to governments. In fact, it may be better to consult with a Bell County criminal defense attorney to find out just how well-protected you are when it comes to data rights.

The issue here is that it is said that while recent iPhone models such as the iPhone 6 are made with user protection in mind, iPhone 5 and older models are not necessarily under this umbrella wing of protection. In fact, government agencies may in fact have the means to access – or they may already be accessing – your data inside your iPhone 5.

This is why others say the best thing to do aside from buying a new iPhone device is to actually upgrade to the latest iOS versions.

However, Apple fans and users should not be alarmed. According to the Apple website, while they receive a ton of requests about their customers from various government agencies, they always require such requests to be accompanied by legal documents such as subpoenas or search warrants.

These requests are commonly associated to Apple devices such as the iPhone, iPad or Mac laptops. These often talk about account requests regarding Apple ID accounts or related transactions.

However, Apple also carefully reviews all requests to ensure there is legal basis behind them, and that their data law enforcement laws are only entitled to the specific investigation. They also clarified that they have never worked with other agencies to create “backdoors” to their products and services.

In fact, devices running iOS8 and later versions now have their personal data under the protection of Apple’s own servers. Apple will also not perform iOS data extractions in response to government search warrants because the files to be extracted are now protected by an encryption key tied to a user’s passcode.

If you have any concerns or questions about the law and how it works, feel free to give us a call and have a Bell County criminal defense attorney assist you and give you legal counsel. Always remember that it is better to know the goings on in the legal field especially in your state, as they may have different laws from other states.