This is a case that transcends the media today but that occurred last August, when the FBI after a long investigation carried out on a case of child pornography, accessed Grant Michalski's home, with the corresponding search warrant.
During the search the police took his personal computer and an iPhone X. Obviously to access the iPhone X they needed to use some unofficial method or pass the device in front of the accused to access it, finally the second option seems to be what the American security forces did.
They found no conclusive evidence on the iPhone X
The truth is that after "forcing" the unlocking of the device, the agents were not able to obtain the necessary tests to certify that he had sent and received child pornography through the iPhone X, but a new possibility was opened for the authorities since at a legal level, it is not the same to force the suspect to unlock the device using fingerprints, with the code or with Face ID as the agents did when pass the device in front of the defendant's face.
From the unlocked device they took out some data and pictures once unlocked, but this opens another debate about the legality of the process and therefore many of the users believe that this can be repeated in the case of Face ID since there is no law on it.
When they tell us that the iPhone X, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR are the safest in terms of unlocking through Face ID, we have to believe it and it seems that there are few options to unlock these iPhone models if not with the face of its rightful owner. In this case the FBI used the face of the arrested person to unblock and obtain information from the suspect as discussed in Forbes.
It is not about debating whether it is legal or not, but about doing everything necessary to do justice. Child pornography is a serious crime. If you are innocent you should not show resistance to investigations, it is best to cooperate with the authorities.
Perhaps he did not have photos of child pornography and if he was with his wife or with whoever he wanted in a compromised situation and no one had to snoop in the privacy of anyone else even if he had not yet been convicted of any crime.