FBI Couldn't Get into WaPo Reporter's iPhone Because Lockdown Mode Enabled

The FBI (that’s the Federal Bureau of Investigation) seized a Washington Post reporter’s iPhone and… got nada. Her phone was in Apple’s Lockdown Mode, a high-security setting that cuts off risky features, and court records say the feds couldn’t break in. Cue the comments section erupting: privacy fans cheered, typing “iPhone 1, FBI 0,” while skeptics shot back with a weary “For now.” One user insists the FBI will just buy an “open market” hack, reviving the old Apple-vs-Feds showdown drama. Another commenter started a mini flame war by accusing detractors of crying “propaganda” when the facts don’t fit their narrative, and yes, that thread got spicy.

Then came the eyebrow-raise moment: the reporter said she doesn’t use biometrics, yet when agents told her to try, her finger unlocked her laptop. One user simply added “Curious,” and the meme was born: “Your finger knows more than you do.” Privacy hardliners chimed in with “Don’t use biometrics if you fear a knock at the door,” while techies wondered if the real leak was old-fashioned Apple syncing—did the iPhone quietly feed messages and emails to a not-in-lockdown MacBook? Big picture: Lockdown Mode isn’t magic; it just slams shut the easiest doors. Court records show some devices were accessible and others weren’t, and commenters suspect the FBI will try new tricks. For now, Apple’s fortress holds—at least on this phone.