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Guelph Police clarifies its use of super secret iPhone unlocking device

The department has used the GrayKey mobile forensic tool about 50 times so far, says a report to the police board
20200617 Guelph Police Headquarters KA
Guelph Police headquarters. Kenneth Armstorng/GuelphToday file photo

A new device which allows the Guelph Police Service to bypass the passwords on smart phones has been used almost 50 times, according to a new report.

The Guelph Police’s use of the GrayKey mobile forensic tool was recently brought into question and the department is clarifying its use in a report to the Guelph Police Services Board.

In a letter to the board, Guelph Police lawyer Judith Sidlofsky Stoffman said the unit is not, has not been and will not be used for what are referred to as “cursory searches of cell phones incident to arrest.”

The GrayKey is used by police departments across the country and in Guelph is not available to anyone outside the two-member technical crimes unit, said the report.

The device is only sold to law enforcement, public safety and defence agencies and not available to the private sector. It has been on the market for about three years.

Sidlofsky Stoffman said the GrayKey is only used by Guelph Police for forensic examinations once legal authorization has been received, which may include court-issued warrants, coroner’s authority or consent of the phone owner.

As of Nov. 26 the Tech Crimes Unit has attempted to extract data from 49 Apple iPhones, with two of those attempts being unsuccessful.

A total of 33 examinations was done with judicial authorization, by CDSA or Criminal Code search warrants. Five were completed with authority by the coroner and 11 with the consent of the owner.

Successful examinations were used in a number investigations, including drugs, robbery, sexual assault, domestic violence, child sexual exploitation and sudden deaths.

Some investigations included multiple GrayKey extractions, said the report.

In the report, Sidlofsky Stoffman said the GrayKey is not being used in an unlawful fashion.

“Great care is taken to ensure the GrayKey device is used in accordance with judicial authorization and/or owner consent,” she said.

The specific breakdown of the device’s use is as follows: drugs (19) fraud (3) robbery (5) sexual assault (2) domestic violence (3) sudden deaths (5) child sexual exploitation (6) intimate image distribution (1) assault (1).

The unsuccessful examination attempts involved: suicide (1) drugs (1).


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