T The FBI exaggerated just how much a problem is being blocked and encrypted smartphes in criminal investigatis, according to a new report.
The agency apparently provided "grossly inflated statistics" to lawmakers and the public how many devices it was locked. More than that, the FBI repeated these claims for a period of time last year, The Washingt Post reported.
The FBI said its investigators could not access about 7,800 crime-related devices last year. But WaPo learned that the actual number of encrypted devices was a little smaller, probably between 1,000 and 2,000.
Christopher Wray, the FBI's director, often advanced these statistics swollen as a major obstacle. in criminal investigatis. Attorney General Jeff Sessis also used these inaccurate statistics in various remarks that he made.
Officials have since learned that the number of devices was grossly inflated. The FBI was first informed of the count in the last two mths – and still does not have an accurate estimate of the number of devices received for criminal investigatis in 2017.
The Bureau noted that "Going Dark," its name for the problems associated with encrypted devices, is still a "serious problem" for law enforcement agencies.
"The FBI will ctinue to seek a soluti that …
