Locking an iPhone with Touch ID or security code it protects user data against anyone, it being impossible to access without a very powerful exploit that allows the removal of the protection measure and Apple has been harshly criticized for this system.
In Norway this problem is not really that big for the police, the district court in Nordhordland making the decision that the police can force a defendant to unlock the terminal using Touch IDEven if he must forcefully put his finger on the fingerprint reader the device.
The man admitted his guilt to the police, but refused to unlock the terminal Seized iPhone by them, the authorities arguing that it would contain other evidence that would help them support the accusations against the defendant in court.
Although the police may force the man's hand to place his fingers over the fingerprint reader, there are still some problems. If the terminal has not been used for 48 hours or has been restarted, then its security code must be entered, otherwise the data cannot be accessed easily.
It is simple to place someone's finger over a fingerprint reader, but it is much more difficult to force a person to provide you with a security code, so in this situation the police may have to use alternative methods to unlock the terminal .
This is the first documented situation in which the police get a court's approval to force an iPhone owner to put their fingers on the Touch ID fingerprint reader, but it probably won't be the last.
