With so much personal and sensitive information stored on our smartphone devices, we want to make sure that no one can access it without our permission. But how safe are our iPhones from prying eyes?
A TikTok user who goes by @StreetzKnowledge claims to know how federal agents can get to your text messages from your iPhone, even if they don’t have your phone number. In a viral video posted on Sept. 28, he explains the steps that law enforcement allegedly take to get to your iCloud data, which can include your iMessages, photos, contacts, and more.
@streetzknowledge #fyp #streetzknowledge #hoodpolitics #freeslmoe #HLR #streetzknowledgelessons #contentjourney ♬ original sound – StreetzKnowledge💸
“This is what the feds are gonna do if they’re building a case on you and you have an iPhone. After they figure out that you don’t have a phone number and your iPhone is only used for Wi-Fi, here’s what they’re gonna do to get you,” he says in the video.
The TikToker claims that the authorities will track down phone stores you’ve previously visited until they find your phone number, which they will use to request a verification code from Apple.
“So then when they send the code to the phone, [Apple’s] just gonna think their phone’s messing up, and then because the message gets delivered, they know you still using that iCloud and that address,” he adds.
According to the TikToker, this will allow them to track your messages and build a case against you: “They’re gonna take these text messages to a judge to raid your house to show what you’re doing or to arrest you and ask you about these weird messages,” he asserts.
The video has quickly gone viral, amassing over 524,300 views, with some viewers sharing their own iPhone privacy tips in the comment section.
“Apple rarely cooperates with the feds,” one commenter wrote.
“The feds cannot get iCloud messages threw the iCloud that is locked by Apple,” another said.
“Apple doesn’t let cops get your iCloud data (if you have the blue messages),” a third commenter wrote, referring to text messages that are sent and received over Wi-Fi or cellular data.
iMessage is end-to-end encrypted, which means that law enforcement should theoretically not be able to access them. However, police can request Google and iCloud backups, which may include a copy of the encryption key.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @streetzknowledge via email and to Apple via its press email for comment.