Apple cleared for the second time to pursue documents from federal agencies in antitrust case

Special Master Jose Linares has rejected the DOJ’s request to reconsider his decision allowing Apple to seek documents from 14 separate government agencies in the antitrust case against the company. Here are the details.

A bit of background

One of Apple’s defense strategies in the antitrust lawsuit the DOJ brought against the company involves the US government’s own use of its products.

Apple’s basic argument is that some of the practices challenged by the DOJ are, in fact, legitimate security and privacy safeguards. Hoping to support that defense, Apple wants to examine how federal agencies evaluate security and privacy when setting smartphone policies and making purchasing decisions.

To that end, Apple has been seeking documents from the following 14 agencies:

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

Department of Commerce

Department of Homeland Security

Department of Defense

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

... continue reading