Contrary to what the FBI told the public, we now know that instead of 7,775 encrypted smartphones proving stumbling blocks[1] to FBI criminal investigations, there are no more than 2,000.
Over the last seven months, FBI Director Christopher Wray claimed that the agency couldn't access the content of 7,775 devices[2] in 2017 -- more than half of all the smartphones it tried to crack -- despite having a search warrant.
Read more: FBI won't say how many investigations are hindered by encryption | Why are we still talking about backdoors in encryption? | US deputy attorney general just called for 'responsible encryption.' Don't fall for it | Senator calls out FBI director's 'ill-informed' encryption backdoor views[3][4][5][6]
Wray called this a "major public safety issue,"[7] and used it to push a "responsible encryption" mantra -- in other words, encryption backdoors.
The FBI denied ZDNet's request for information[8] on these phones. The Bureau said the information was exempt from disclosure, as the records "could reasonably be expected to interfere with enforcement proceedings."
Internally though the FBI knew they miscounted the devices as of a month ago. The bureau still doesn't have an accurate count of how many encrypted phones it has from last year.
More: US says it doesn't need secret court's approval to ask for encryption backdoors | FBI won't say how many investigations are hindered by encryption | FBI sought iPhone unlock order before exhausting tech options[9][10][11]
This miscount arose from the use of three different databases to track the phones. This led to some phones being counted