New York lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow police to access people's phones after a car crash to determine whether they were texting behind the wheel.
Coming hot off the debate surrounding smartphone privacy, proponents of the bill insist new technology would allow investigators to determine whether the phone was being used without accessing any of the actual content.
A 'textalyzer' is being developed by Israeli firm Cellebrite, which was previously rumored to have helped the FBI crack San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone, according to Bloomberg.
The bill is named Evan's law after 19-year-old Evan Lieberman, who died in the back seat of a car crash in 2011. His parents have campaigned tirelessly to crack down on distracted driving.
New York lawmakers have introduced a bill that would allow police to access people's phones after a car crash to determine whether they were texting behind the wheel
The bill is named Evan's law after 19-year-old Evan Lieberman (pictured right), who died in the back seat of a car crash in 2011. His father Ben Lieberman has worked with Israeli company Cellebrite to create technology that would detect phone usage without accessing the contents of the phone
Senator Terrence Murphy and Assistant Speaker of the Assembly Felix Ortiz introduced the bipartisan bill based on new technology, which would be utilized in the event of property damage, injuries or death.
Cellebrite confirmed they are developing the technology, and Evan's father Ben Lieberman has been working with the company in the hopes that he can prevent other parents from experiencing a similar loss, CBS reported.
Evan had returned home to Westchester County, New York, in 2011 after his first year at the University of Connecticut.
He was carpooling to a summer job when the driver got in a head-on collision after he claimed to have fallen asleep at the wheel. Three other friends were injured and Evan died a month after the crash from internal injuries.
Both Evan's parents Ben and Debbie sued the driver in a civil lawsuit and subpoenaed his phone records, which revealed data had been sent and received just before the crash, CBS reported.
A judge ruled Fiddle had broken traffic laws by using his phone while driving, but did not link the cause of the crash to his cellphone usage.
Ben told CBS2 there was no protocol for the police to investigate phone usage, adding: 'The scanning device is only looking at usage. It won’t look at any content at all, not text conversations or pictures.'
Coming hot off the debate surrounding smartphone privacy, a 'textalyzer' is being developed by Israeli firm Cellebrite, which was previously rumored to have helped the FBI crack San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook's iPhone (pictured Apple CEO Tim Cook)
Ben Lieberman also told WGRZ: 'When people were held accountable for drunk driving, that’s when positive change occurred. It’s time to recognize that distracted driving is a similar impairment and should be dealt with in a similar fashion.'
Assembly speaker Felix Ortiz defended the bill and said he hoped it would have a preventative effect.
It is unclear how the technology will work and whether it will distinguish how the phone was being used or by whom.
According to Bloomberg, anonymous sources said Cellebrite was behind the FBI's iPhone cracking after Apple refused a court order to help unlock the device in a month-long stand-off.
Cellebrite did not comment on the reports. The company is a provider of mobile forensic software that says it does business with thousands of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, militaries and governments in more than 90 countries.
FBI director James Comey said on Wednesday he purchased 'a tool' from a trusted and private source to unlock the phone, Fortune reported.
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