Text messages could play a crucial role in the investigation into the storming of the US Capitol. Apple iMessage prevents that – and for good reason.
Apple iMessage security features are said to be responsible for the disappearance of text messages that could play a key role in the investigation of the January 2021 US Capitol storming. The Secret Service is therefore considering shutting down the service on all iPhones that the security agency has given to its employees.
The statement made in July by a US Department of Homeland Security representative that messages dated January 6, 2021 had been deleted caused great astonishment. Federal law in the US typically requires authorities to retain written communications. In the current case, the processes were to be reconstructed and the question answered as to what role the White House and then US President Donald Trump played in the attack on the seat of parliament.
Central backup was not possible
According to the US political news service Politico, the data loss is said to be the result of a change in the mobile device management system. While other data such as photos and emails can either be stored centrally on servers anyway or easily backed up by the device, the messages in Apple iMessage are encrypted and, unlike SMS messages, cannot be transferred to the backup from a central location.
Although it would have been possible for the respective agents to back up the data manually, this was not done in some cases, which meant that the messages were lost when the device was restarted. In the past, Apple has always boasted of its high level of data protection, including encryption.
How will things continue in the future?
For the Secret Service, the question now arises as to how the issue will be dealt with in the future. Disabling iMessage seems like an obvious solution, but the president’s bodyguards fear it could impede communications with other federal agencies and security services in an emergency. For example, the US Department of Homeland Security does not prohibit its affiliated agencies from using iMessage. The Secret Service is also considering technical alternatives.
