Apple has reportedly been working on a new iPhone that would be impossible for government officials or anyone to hack into.

The engineers at the company have been prompted to develop an ultra-secure phone because of the recent battle with the FBI regarding unlocking a suspected terrorist's iPhone.

Sources close to Apple believe that the company will succeed in creating the unhackable phone, The New York Times reports. Such a phone would pose huge obstacles to law enforcement agencies when they try to access data that they believe is crucial evidence.

A Back Door Entrance to iPhones

The San Bernardino, California shooting rampage has led to a dispute between the FBI and Apple. The FBI wants to access an iPhone that belonged to one of the suspects because the agency believes it could contain important information.

Apple has argued that by unlocking the phone, the company would be granting the government "back door" access to all iPhones, and iPhone owners could all be at risk of having their data leaked. The company believes that the government is trying to force them to create a code that would allow them to hack into their own phones.

More Court Cases Could Come in the Future

An iPhone that is impossible to hack would force the FBI to find some other way to access the data stored inside the phone. It would also likely lead Apple to continually update security software to keep the FBI and other government organizations from accessing secured data. Finally, it would probably lead to more court cases and high profile disputes like the San Bernardino case.

One possible solution for this legal mess is Congress. Phone carriers must comply with federal wiretapping laws and provide data to law enforcement agencies when prompted. Technology companies like Apple and Google are not covered by these laws and have resisted requests for information in the past.

"We are in for an arms race unless and until Congress decides to clarify who has what obligations in situations like this," said Benjamin Wittes, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Regular Security Patches

Apple has been focused on keeping their products secure. When they find a security vulnerability, they are quick to release a security patch to fix it.

"For all of those people who want to have a voice but they're afraid, we are standing up, and we are standing up for our customers because protecting them we view as our job," Apple's chief executive, Tim Cook, said on Wednesday in an interview with ABC News.

Security Is Very Important for Apple

An Apple employee, speaking to The Times on the condition of anonymity, said that the company had been working on making software more secure even before the San Bernardino shooting. The company says that recent updates have made the phones so secure that even they cannot access a customer's data.

"We have even put that data out of our own reach, because we believe the contents of your iPhone are none of our business," Cook said.

Related