Apple is making it harder for police to collect evidence from iPhones of suspected criminals -- The Washington Post

Looks like the mainstream media temporarily ran out of Facebook innuendo fodder, so it's Apple's turn again; also see Apple is ending apps’ ability to secretly sell your contacts list (The Washington Post)

"Apple said the change, which would disable the Lightning port on the bottom of iPhones an hour after users lock their phones, is part of software updates to be rolled out in the fall. Designed to better protect the private information of iPhone users, it will have little obvious effect on most people using the devices but will make it far more difficult for investigators to use extraction tools that attach through the port to collect the contents of seized iPhones.

The change is not intended to thwart law enforcement efforts, Apple said. “We’re constantly strengthening the security protections in every Apple product to help customers defend against hackers, identity thieves and intrusions into their personal data,” the company said in a statement. “We have the greatest respect for law enforcement, and we don’t design our security improvements to frustrate their efforts to do their jobs.”

Yet some authorities almost certainly will see it as yet another barrier to carrying out their legally sanctioned investigations."

Apple is making it harder for police to collect evidence from iPhones of suspected criminals -- The Washington Post