Earlier this month, we saw Apple announce that it would begin notifying customers of law enforcement requests for their user information. Today the company has published a new set of guidelines for law enforcement officials regarding such requests.
Most of the document contains information regular customers won’t ever need to know, but for those interested in Apple’s participation in the legal process will find a wealth of information here. The document also confirms once again that Apple will notify users in most cases where law enforcement requests their personal information…
From the guidelines:
Apple will notify its customers when their personal information is being sought in response to legal process except where providing notice is prohibited by the legal process itself, by a court order Apple receives (e.g., an order under 18 U.S.C. §2705(b)), or by applicable law or where Apple, in its sole discretion, believes that providing notice could create a risk of injury or death to an identifiable individual or group of individuals or in situations where the case relates to child endangerment.
As far as the extraction of data from locked iOS device goes, Apple will only retrieve info from its own built-in apps, including SMS messages, photos, videos, contacts, audio recording, and call history. They will not provide access to calendars, emails or third-party app data.
For those so inclined, the entire document can be found on Apple’s legal web page.
